Alleged Jalisco cartel leader and fuel smuggler dubbed

Security forces in Mexico have arrested an alleged leader of a notorious cartel who is accused by the U.S. of drug trafficking and a large-scale fuel smuggling operation, authorities said Tuesday.

Mexican authorities say Molina, the alleged regional leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), runs a massive fuel theft network and is linked to homicides, kidnappings and drug trafficking. He is accused of being involved in the attack on a Mexican Army helicopter in Jalisco in 2015 that killed members of the Army and the Federal Police.

Th U.S. Treasury sanctioned Molina in September 2024, saying he was part of the inner circle of "El Mencho," the infamous Jalisco cartel leader who was later killed in a military operation.

U.S. authorities allege Molina manages a network of ostensibly legitimate retail gas stations where he sells stolen fuel. He is also accused of selling stolen fuel to third parties in Mexico, who in turn sell it to the U.S. market, often in Texas.

Fuel theft — more commonly known as huachicol in Mexico — has risen to the second most profitable revenue stream for Mexican cartels behind drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Treasury.

One of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations, CJNG is among eight cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. In August, the State Department offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of its new leader, Juan Carlos González, the California-born stepson of "El Mencho."

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