The arrest is a significant development in ongoing efforts to disrupt the CJNG, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Molina in September 2024, identifying him as part of the inner circle of “El Mencho,” the late cartel founder who was killed in a military operation. U.S. officials state that Molina’s fuel theft operations generate tens of millions of dollars per year for himself and the CJNG, making it the second most profitable revenue stream for Mexican cartels behind drug trafficking.
U.S. authorities allege that Molina manages a network of ostensibly legitimate retail gas stations used to sell stolen fuel. He is also accused of selling stolen fuel to third parties in Mexico, who subsequently transport it to the U.S. market, often through Texas. This illicit trade, known locally as huachicol, has become a major financial engine for the cartel. In 2025, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described fuel theft and crude oil smuggling as “cash cows” for the CJNG, enabling the group to fund operations that cause instability in both Mexico and the United States.
Molina is also accused of involvement in the 2015 attack on a Mexican Army helicopter in Jalisco state, an incident that resulted in the deaths of military personnel and Federal Police officers. The U.S. State Department has designated the CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization and recently offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of the cartel’s current leader, Juan Carlos González, the California-born stepson of “El Mencho.”
The arrest comes amid a broader regional crackdown on organized crime. In late September 2026, joint operations between U.S. troops and Ecuadorian authorities led to the arrest of more than 30 individuals linked to a local branch of the CJNG in Ecuador. That operation, which targeted cocaine trafficking routes from Colombia, involved approximately 320 Ecuadoran police officers and 50 U.S. Southern Command personnel. While these international efforts aim to dismantle cartel infrastructure, human rights organizations have raised concerns about the methods used in some of these military-style offensives, citing allegations of excessive force.
The capture of “El Tanque” represents a tangible success in the multi-agency effort to dismantle the CJNG’s financial networks. Mexican and U.S. officials are expected to provide further details on the specific operational consequences of the arrest and subsequent investigations into the fuel theft network.
