The Mexican Navy announced Wednesday the arrest of Israel Vizcarra Beltrán, alias “El Palillo,” identified as one of the main operatives for Ismael Zambada Sicairos, alias “El Mayito Flaco,” leader of La Mayiza, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel.
His brother, Alexis Arnoldo Vizcarra Beltrán, was also apprehended in the operation. Both men are considered by federal authorities to be key figures in the criminal organization, holding second-level positions.
According to authorities, Israel Vizcarra Beltrán served as plaza boss in the Eldorado area, where he headed a cell dedicated to the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, with a presence in at least six states: Sinaloa, Sonora, Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Puebla, and the State of Mexico.
The coordinated action between the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) and the federal Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) made it possible to locate and secure these two operators after months of intelligence work and land patrols in the Tierra y Libertad Uno region, in the municipality of Culiacán.
