Zhi Dong Zhang, a Chinese-born broker and key figure in the trafficking of chemical precursors for the Sinaloa Cartel (CDS) and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was recaptured by Cuban authorities after escaping from Mexican custody last July.
The news was confirmed by Mexican official sources to El País and reported by local media outlets such as Diario de Cuba, which indicate that his arrest triggers extradition proceedings to Mexico and the United States, where he faces charges for drug trafficking and money laundering.
Zhi Dong Zhang was originally arrested in October 2024 in Lomas de Santa Fe, Mexico City, and subjected to extradition proceedings at the request of a Federal Court in Atlanta, Georgia, accused of shipping large volumes of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamines to the United States, as well as laundering millions of dollars for the CDS and the CJNG.
Zhang had been held in maximum security prison until a federal judge approved the change to house arrest, which generated public accusations and direct criticism from President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“The judge, without any arguments, because the Prosecutor’s Office was fighting and presenting every argument, granted him house arrest. A judge should not have made that ruling,” said the President. On July 11, Zhang escaped from the home under National Guard custody, triggering an international search operation and the issuance of a red notice by Interpol.
