On the night of October 5, personnel from the Secretariat of National Defense, the Secretariat of the Navy, the National Guard, and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) arrested Iván Cazarín Molina—alias “El Tanque”—while he was driving a gray Mercedes-Benz G-Class 500 with a list price of nearly four million pesos. The alleged regional leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was located in Zapopan, Jalisco, while visiting his family.
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch, confirmed that the arrest was the result of a joint operation carried out by Mexican Army special forces and the SSPC’s Operations Group, utilizing intelligence from the National Intelligence Center (CNI). The luxury vehicle was a key factor in allowing agents to confirm the target’s identity before proceeding with the arrest.
According to reports, authorities spotted Cazarín Molina driving the SUV through Zapopan on Monday afternoon after he had visited his family. They captured photographs and video footage that were subsequently sent to Mexico City to confirm that he was indeed the high-priority target sought for months by the Security Cabinet.
Once his identity was confirmed, the operation was executed that same Monday night. “El Tanque” was arrested in the act; the vehicle, a firearm, and various doses of narcotics were seized, according to a joint statement released by the participating agencies.
The German-made vehicle is a significant detail in the case file. Cazarín Molina, identified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as a high-ranking member of the CJNG, headed a fuel-theft network that, according to Washington, generated tens of millions of dollars annually. The luxury vehicle he was traveling in at the time of his capture is consistent with that financial profile.
