A federal judge has ordered mandatory pre-trial detention for Iván Cazarín Molina, alias “El Tanque,” identified as a regional operator for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the leader of a fuel-theft network sanctioned by the United States.
The detainee will be transferred to Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1—known as Altiplano—in Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico.
The ruling was announced following an initial hearing held this Thursday at the federal courts in Almoloya de Juárez. Cazarín Molina appeared via videoconference from the facilities of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO) in Mexico City. The CJNG operator was arrested on October 5 in Zapopan, Jalisco.
The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has charged “El Tanque” with four offenses: organized crime with the intent to commit drug-related offenses; drug-related offenses; carrying a firearm reserved for exclusive military use; and possession of ammunition.
The charges were limited to facts documented *in flagrante delicto* (in the act) during his arrest in Zapopan; for the time being, they do not include allegations of homicide, extortion, or hydrocarbon theft that various authorities have attributed to him for years.
According to reports by *Milenio*, “El Tanque’s” lawyer attempted to argue that the prosecution’s evidence was insufficient to prosecute him. However, the judge determined that the evidence presented by the prosecution was indeed sufficient to establish the likelihood of the detainee’s involvement in the alleged crimes, and consequently ordered pre-trial detention.
The judge granted a 144-hour window to resolve his formal legal status, meaning the hearing will resume on October 13. On that date, it will be determined whether “El Tanque” is formally bound over for trial on the charges brought against him by the FGR.
