The United States Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, celebrated on Tuesday, January 13th, the recent arrests of suspected organized crime operatives in the states of Nayarit and Jalisco, actions which, he said, represent a significant advance in the bilateral fight against criminal organizations that threaten the security of both nations.
Johnson emphasized that these arrests reflect the shared commitment between Mexico and the United States to dismantle criminal structures operating on both sides of the border and minimize their impact on communities. “These arrests weaken the ability of criminal groups to harm our communities and show that when Mexico and the United States work together as sovereign partners, we achieve more,” the ambassador stated in a pronouncement published on official social media accounts.
The arrests were announced on Wednesday by the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet, which reported on coordinated operations in Jalisco and Nayarit in which four people allegedly linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) were captured.
According to the official report, the arrests were made possible by military intelligence and operational actions by federal forces, including members of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the National Guard, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar), and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC).
Among those arrested is Luis Ignacio “N,” who, according to the FGR, is a suspected regional operator for the CJNG cartel who coordinated drug trafficking and illicit finances in the Tepic, Nayarit, and Jalisco region. Also arrested in Zapopan, Jalisco, was José Gabriel “N,” identified by authorities as the leader of a cell involved in drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, homicide, and arms trafficking.
The Security Cabinet stated that these arrests are part of an ongoing strategy to weaken criminal groups that generate violence and insecurity, as well as their financial and operational capacity. Tuesday’s actions add to other recent blows against criminal structures, as credited by the federal government.
Ambassador Johnson emphasized that binational cooperation is crucial to confronting transnational criminal networks and reiterated the United States’ commitment to continue supporting Mexico in these efforts, while also assuring that “justice will prevail.”
Source: NTV
