The U.S. State Department announced Thursday rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of the Arzate García brothers, identified as alleged plaza bosses for the Sinaloa Cartel.
In a statement, the Trump administration specified that the brothers are drug traffickers René Arzate García, alias “La Rana” (The Frog), and his brother, Alfonso Arzate García, alias “Aquiles.”
Both are considered members of the Sinaloa Cartel, designated a terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
The Arzate García brothers have been indicted on drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of California since 2014 and were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2023.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), “La Rana” and “Aquiles” have jointly controlled the Tijuana area for the past 15 years, maintaining their authority through violence.
According to court documents, René Arzate-García is a plaza boss for the Sinaloa Cartel based in Baja California, along with his brother Alfonso Arzate-García, alias “Aquiles.”
The U.S. government asserts that René Arzate-García directs the cartel’s drug trafficking operations in Tijuana and surrounding municipalities and is involved in the importation of large quantities of illicit drugs into the United States, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
It warns that “La Rana” (The Frog) is known for being extremely violent and is also involved in carrying out repressive operations for the Sinaloa Cartel, such as kidnappings and executions.
“This indictment replaces a 2014 indictment for conspiracy to import marijuana and demonstrates that René Arzate-García is a key member of the Sinaloa Cartel and controls the Tijuana plaza, which includes the entire state of Baja California,” the U.S. State Department emphasized.
He is also accused of importing thousands of kilograms of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, into the Southern District of California and laundering millions of dollars in drug proceeds.
The charges against him, in addition to drug trafficking, include corruption of Mexican law enforcement and public officials, and extortion of businesses in Tijuana.
According to the U.S. government, the brothers are key figures in the trafficking of fentanyl, a synthetic drug that has caused a severe opioid crisis in the United States and which Trump labeled a “weapon of mass destruction.”
In the statement, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole asserted that “René Arzate-García is a ruthless plaza boss for the Sinaloa Cartel, accused of exploiting U.S. ports of entry to flood the country with drugs.”
“He and his brother, Alfonso, are among the DEA’s most wanted fugitives for these alleged crimes against the United States,” the U.S. official stated.
He affirmed that the indictment “underscores Arzate-García’s role not only as a cartel operative, but also as a narco-terrorist who exploits vulnerabilities to inundate communities with poison, violence, and fear.”
The announcement of this reward comes less than a week after the operation by the Mexican Army, supported by US intelligence, that resulted in the death in Jalisco of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’, the country’s most wanted drug trafficker.
Source: elfinanciero
