Mexico arrests alleged drug-trafficking coordinator sought by U.S.
Mexican authorities arrested José Ángel “N,” known as “Don Flaco,” under a provisional extradition order. El Financiero reported that U.S. authorities accuse him of coordinating a precursor-chemical network tied to fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.
Mexican authorities arrested José Ángel “N,” known as “Don Flaco,” in Mexico City in a joint operation involving the Federal Attorney General’s Office and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. Omar García Harfuch said the operation used information exchanged with the FBI and DEA. The arrest was carried out under a provisional detention order for extradition.
According to El Financiero, U.S. authorities seek José Ángel “N” for alleged drug-trafficking offenses and identify him as a coordinator and financier of an organization that moved chemical precursors from China to Mexico and the United States. The report said he was also designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Mexican officials said the operation respected Mexico’s sovereignty and involved international cooperation.
El Financiero reported that the U.S. government identified José Ángel “N” on Jan. 30, 2023, as the then-leader of a Mexico-based network involved in buying precursors to manufacture and traffic fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the United States. The source said the network operated globally, with nodes in the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. U.S. officials alleged that the network imported precursors for synthetic drugs including fentanyl, ecstasy, methamphetamine, 2C-B and ketamine. The accusations and designation are attributed to U.S. authorities; they are not a conviction.