Interpol Issues Red Notice for Zhi Dong Zhang, Chinese Fugitive Linked to the CJNG

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) issued a red notice this Friday to locate and arrest Zhi Dong Zhang, known as “Brother Wang,” a Chinese national linked to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), who is a priority target in 190 countries.

The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) also requested an arrest warrant and a national alert for Zhang, who fled on July 11 from his home in Lomas de Padierna, Tlalpan, where he was serving house arrest while his extradition to the United States was being determined.

According to authorities, the criminal had been arrested in October 2024 during a joint operation between the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), the Navy (Senar), the Army, the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), and the National Intelligence Center, and was later transferred to the Southern Prison.

However, a supervisory judge modified his precautionary measure and granted him house arrest, a decision that raised questions from the then-newly appointed President Claudia Sheinbaum, who publicly emphasized the seriousness of releasing a suspect with international ties to drug trafficking.

The Chinese citizen remained under surveillance by the National Guard at his residence in Lomas de Padierna, but managed to escape. According to initial reports, three people helped him escape through a tunnel that connected his house to another adjacent property, in an operation reminiscent of the escape of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.