Federal forces arrested Lino Adame Sotelo in Ixtapaluca, identifying him as an alleged Los Linos leader linked to extortion and violence in Morelos.
Federal forces arrested Lino Adame Sotelo, known as “El Patrón” or “El Señor,” in Ixtapaluca, State of Mexico, authorities announced Tuesday, November 3. Investigators identify him as an alleged leader of Los Linos, a criminal organization linked to extortion, killings and vehicle theft in neighboring Morelos.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said federal security personnel and the Criminal Investigation Agency carried out the arrest using information from the National Intelligence Center. The operation forms part of the national anti-extortion strategy and efforts to strengthen security in Morelos.
Intelligence analysis and fieldwork helped investigators identify the area where Adame Sotelo moved, according to federal accounts. The expanded account also names the Navy, Defense Secretariat and National Guard among the participating agencies. Officers reported seizing suspected drug doses, ammunition, a firearm and a vehicle, but did not specify quantities or the weapon’s type.
Authorities say Los Linos operates in Cuautla, Emiliano Zapata, Tlaltizapán, Yautepec, Jiutepec and Cuernavaca. Federal investigations also link the group to drug trafficking from Central America toward U.S. markets, including San Antonio, El Paso, Atlanta and North Carolina, as well as clandestine synthetic-drug production facilities in Yautepec.
Investigators have also attributed attacks on law enforcement personnel to alleged members of the organization, including a January 2026 shooting in Jiutepec that killed two investigators. Those allegations concern the group; the supplied account does not establish Adame Sotelo’s individual involvement in that attack.
His capture follows a May 6 operation in Yautepec that resulted in eight arrests, including those of his brothers Rodolfo Adame Sotelo, known as “Don Ramón,” and Carlos Adame Sotelo. Two federal security officers were wounded during that intervention, one requiring emergency surgery. García Harfuch said the latest arrest brings the total across the two operations to nine.
The earlier case has already reached court. Reports published May 22 state that a federal judge allowed proceedings against the eight Yautepec detainees to move forward on weapons, ammunition and drug-related allegations and ordered pretrial detention. That ruling applies to the May defendants and does not determine Lino Adame Sotelo’s responsibility in the new case.
Adame Sotelo was placed in prosecutors’ custody after his arrest. The accounts do not identify the precise charges against him or report a subsequent court ruling.
