In a joint operation, Mexican authorities managed to arrest Roland Alberto M. and/or Román Alberto M. R., a 41-year-old American citizen, originally from Dallas, Texas, and considered a priority target for the United States Government for his alleged involvement in firearms trafficking and smuggling.
The arrest took place on Tuesday morning, when agents of the Strategic Operations Prosecutor’s Office, in collaboration with the National Guard and personnel from the Fifth Military Zone of the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA), managed to locate and detain the suspect on the Chihuahua-Cuauhtémoc highway, near a motel called “Houston.”
At the time of his capture, the detainee identified himself with a false credential, however, intelligence work confirmed his true identity.
Following his arrest, the American citizen was transferred under heavy security to the border, where he was handed over to elements of the United States Marshals Service (US Marshals) at the Stanton International Bridge, which connects Ciudad Juárez with El Paso, Texas. The handover took place at 4:40 p.m. local time, with the support of the National Guard and the National Institute of Migration (INM), in compliance with international cooperation agreements on security and the fight against transnational organized crime.
According to information obtained during the investigations, the detainee is identified as one of the main suppliers of firearms for criminal organizations operating in the state of Chihuahua and other regions of the country.
Among the high-impact cases to which he is linked, the supply of weapons used in the attack against the then Secretary of Citizen Security of Mexico City, Omar García Harfuch, which occurred in June 2020, stands out.
Likewise, state authorities link him to the sale of weapons used in the murder of an agent of the National Migration Institute that occurred in 2022, as well as in the murder of two ministerial agents in Chihuahua, in events related to the dispute between criminal groups.
The arrest and delivery of this priority target reinforces the policy of cooperation between Mexico and the United States to combat arms, drug and human trafficking networks, as well as the dismantling of criminal structures that operate on both sides of the border.
In addition, it responds to the commitment of the Mexican authorities to strengthen security and restore peace in Chihuahua, an entity severely affected by violence linked to organized crime.
Source: oem
