The State Department offered a $10 million reward on Thursday for information leading to the arrests or convictions of two brothers said to be in charge of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico.
Rene Arzate-Garcia and Alfonso Arzate-Garcia are believed to be leading the cartel from the Mexican state of Baja California, which sits below the southern border.
The reward is $5 million for each brother. It is being offered in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Administration San Diego Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
“Rene and Alfonso Arzate-Garcia have jointly controlled the Tijuana Plaza for the Sinaloa Cartel for the past 15 years, maintaining authority through violence, strategic alliances, and deep local influence, including political and police corruption,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Despite ongoing conflicts, they continue to manage this critical trafficking corridor, making them key figures in sustaining cartel operations, including trafficking deadly illicit fentanyl … into U.S. communities.”
The Sinaloa cartel was designated by the Trump administration as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist last year.
Separately, the Department of Justice unsealed a superseding indictment charging Rene Arzate-Garcia with narco-terrorism, material support of terrorism, and drug trafficking. He is accused of smuggling large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana into the United States.
In 2014, both brothers were initially charged with drug trafficking offenses in San Diego. By 2023, the Treasury Department labeled them drug kingpins. Their exact whereabouts are unknown to authorities.
The departments’ respective announcements on Thursday complemented each other as the Trump administration cracks down on Mexican drug cartels.
US SAYS JALISCO AIRPORTS SECURE AFTER CLASHES BETWEEN CARTELS AND MEXICAN FORCES
On Sunday, Mexican security forces carried out an operation that ultimately caused the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. The cartel boss was considered Mexico’s most wanted man. Mexican officials confirmed the operation was done in collaboration with U.S. authorities, who provided intelligence.
The cartel leader’s killing resulted in pandemonium as CJNG members launched attacks in cities and towns, including the popular tourist destination Puerto Vallarta. Amid the violence, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico instituted a shelter-in-place order that was later lifted.