Federal forces arrested El Semáforo and an alleged logistics operator in Oaxaca; authorities describe him as a possible successor to El Tanque in a CJNG-linked group.
Federal forces arrested Carlos “N,” known as “El Semáforo,” and Ana Gabriela “N” in San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, on Wednesday, October 28. Authorities describe Carlos as an alleged regional operator of a group linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a possible successor to Iván “N,” known as “El Tanque,” who was captured earlier this month.
Investigators identify Ana Gabriela as the group’s alleged logistics operator. They link the organization to kidnappings and homicides in Boca del Río and San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz, and along the border with Oaxaca. Neither detainee’s responsibility for those crimes has been established in court.
The arrests followed intelligence gathering and analysis involving the Navy, the federal Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat and the Criminal Investigation Agency of the federal Attorney General’s Office. Naval intelligence and specialized Navy personnel worked with federal investigators to carry out the operation.
Authorities reported seizing suspected drugs, firearms and grenades, along with four vehicles, six motorcycles, two ATVs and a property. They estimated the combined value of the seized assets at 8,837,000 pesos, but did not provide drug quantities, firearm or grenade counts, or a breakdown of the valuation.
Carlos, also known as “Semo” and “Señor de las Luces,” occupied the second tier of the regional organization, according to authorities. Their description of him as a possible successor to “El Tanque” concerns that regional structure; it does not establish that he held leadership over the wider CJNG.
Regional reporting adds a specific allegation involving the killing of two investigative police officers. Carlos has been linked to their deaths during an anti-kidnapping operation in the Vía Muerta area of Boca del Río in May 2025. The report does not establish whether that case formed the legal basis for his arrest.
After their detention, Carlos and Ana Gabriela were flown by naval helicopter from Tuxtepec to the Veracruz Naval Air Base, then taken by airplane to Mexico City and placed in prosecutors’ custody. Reports do not identify the charges prosecutors would pursue or report a subsequent court ruling.
The Navy said the operation followed the earlier arrests of 16 other alleged members of the same group in Veracruz and Oaxaca. The latest detentions extend that investigation, while the evidence supporting the suspects’ alleged roles and the charges they will face remain to be presented in court.
