Mexican security forces have detained a suspected leader of a well-known cartel, accused by the U.S. of both drug trafficking and orchestrating a major fuel smuggling operation. Ivan Cazarin Molina, also known as ‘El Tanque’ or ‘The Tank’, was apprehended on Monday in Zapopan, Jalisco State, according to a social media statement by security minister Omar Garcia Harfuch.
Molina is allegedly a key figure in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and is said to oversee a large-scale fuel theft network. He faces accusations of involvement in numerous homicides, kidnappings, and drug trafficking activities. Authorities also link him to a 2015 attack on a Mexican Army helicopter in Jalisco that resulted in the deaths of soldiers and federal police officers.
Images shared by Harfuch show Molina being detained by National Guard members and handcuffed. The U.S. Treasury had previously sanctioned Molina in September 2024, describing him as part of the inner circle of ‘El Mencho’, the notorious Jalisco cartel leader, who was later killed in a military action.
The Treasury detailed that El Tanque is chiefly involved in fuel theft but is also engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, and murder. The illicit fuel operations reportedly generate tens of millions of dollars annually for both Molina and CJNG. Authorities claim Molina operates a network of seemingly legitimate gas stations selling stolen fuel and supplies to third parties in Mexico, who then sell to the U.S. market, notably in Texas.
Fuel theft, known locally as ‘huachicol’, has become the second most profitable activity for Mexican cartels after drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Treasury. Scott Bessent, then Secretary of the Treasury, stated in 2025 that fuel theft and crude oil smuggling are significant revenue sources for CJNG, supporting their criminal activities in both Mexico and the United States.
CJNG, recognized as one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, is among eight cartels labeled as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. In August, the U.S. State Department announced a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of its new leader, Juan Carlos González, who is ‘El Mencho’s’ stepson from California.