CJNG leaders face legal action in US and Mexico

Iván Cazarín Molina, known as “El Tanque,” a regional leader for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has been formally indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia. The charges include conspiracy to traffic cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States and possession of a firearm to facilitate drug trafficking. If convicted, Cazarín Molina faces a minimum of 40 years in prison and up to two consecutive life sentences. He was detained in Zapopan, Jalisco, on October 5.

Separately, Iván Sánchez Santiago, alias “Comandante Cromo,” a leader of the criminal group “Los Cromos” linked to the CJNG, has been formally processed by a federal judge in Mexico. Sánchez Santiago faces charges of possession of firearms for exclusive use by the Armed Forces and crimes against health. He is accused of overseeing criminal activities in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region of Oaxaca, including extortion, kidnapping, and drug trafficking. He remains in custody at the El Altiplano maximum-security prison.