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High-impact detentions in Jalisco, Nayarit, Baja California, and central Mexico signal a renewed offensive with implications on both sides of the border
In just 72 hours, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) faced one of its most significant sequences of law enforcement operations in recent months, with key arrests and seizures carried out across at least four Mexican states. Beyond the number of detainees, the message from authorities was unmistakable: enforcement efforts are increasingly targeting figures with real command authority over territory, logistics, and financial operations—not just low-level operatives.
The most visible operation took place in Zapopan, Jalisco, where forces from Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense, National Guard, and the Office of the Attorney General arrested José Gabriel Soto Martínez, known as “El Uber,” identified by federal investigators as a plaza boss in the northern part of the Guadalajara metropolitan area. Two close associates were arrested alongside him, and authorities seized long and short firearms, hundreds of doses of methamphetamine, luxury vehicles, a property, and multiple communication devices.
Security sources consulted by Parriva indicate that the cell under his command was linked not only to drug trafficking but also to forced recruitment schemes and disappearances—an ongoing crisis that has marked Jalisco for nearly two decades. While investigations remain ongoing, the arrest signals an effort to dismantle nodes that sustain the everyday violence affecting thousands of families in the region.
In a parallel operation in Tepic, Nayarit, authorities captured Luis Ignacio Cárdenas de Luna, known as “El Cárdenas,” described as a regional operator responsible for coordinating drug shipments, financial transactions, and aerial and maritime trafficking routes. Security analysts note that figures like Cárdenas are strategically critical, as they connect local operations to national and international supply chains.
The offensive extended to northern Mexico as well. In Mexicali, Baja California, state authorities arrested Issac Neftaly “N,” a suspected member of a criminal alliance between CJNG and La Chapiza, a faction linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. The high-powered arsenal seized—including thousands of rounds of ammunition and tactical equipment—has raised renewed concerns about the militarization of cartel conflicts in border regions central to drug trafficking into the United States.
Central Mexico also saw major developments. In Santiago de Querétaro, authorities detained Ramón “N,” known as “El Moncho,” alleged leader of a CJNG-linked cell responsible for robberies and kidnappings along the Mexico–Querétaro highway, one of the country’s most critical commercial corridors. In the state of Morelos, Omar “N,” alias “El Abuelo,” was formally charged and placed in pretrial detention for aggravated kidnapping as part of efforts to halt the cartel’s expansion in southern regions.
The international response was swift. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson publicly praised the arrests, highlighting bilateral cooperation and emphasizing the importance of continued joint efforts against what he described as an organization that fuels violence and traffics drugs into American communities.
For Latino audiences in the United States, these operations are far from a distant story. The trajectory of the CJNG directly affects forced migration, regional security, and the tone of U.S.–Mexico relations. The deeper question is not only how many leaders are arrested, but whether sustained pressure can finally weaken the structures that allow the cartel to regenerate time and again.
