Mexico arrests alleged Don Flaco precursor-chemical operator
Mexican authorities arrested José Ángel “N,” known as “Don Flaco,” under a provisional extradition order after an operation involving information from the FBI and DEA. Authorities allege he operated and financed a group moving chemical precursors from China for drug production.
Mexican authorities arrested José Ángel “N,” known as “Don Flaco,” in Mexico City after an operation that used information from the FBI and DEA, according to Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch. The arrest was made under a provisional detention order for extradition, Mexican authorities said.
According to El País México, authorities allege that Don Flaco operated and financed a criminal group that moved chemical precursors from China to Mexico for the manufacture of drugs destined for the United States. The report said he was also on the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list. Harfuch said the operation was conducted with international cooperation and respect for Mexico’s sovereignty.
El País México reported that stopping drug flows, especially fentanyl, across Mexico’s more than 2,000-kilometer border with the United States is a priority for the Trump administration. The report said President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government has offered greater cooperation while rejecting operations that would compromise Mexican sovereignty. It also described Harfuch’s security profile, including his survival of a 2020 CJNG attack and his meeting with DEA Director Terrance Cole at an anti-drug summit in Buenos Aires in August. The allegations about Don Flaco’s role remain attributed to Mexican and U.S. authorities; no conviction is reported.