Cartel Commander Charged with International Cocaine and Methamphetamine Trafficking Conspiracy and Firearm Offenses in Homeland Security Task Force Investigatio
A Mexican cartel commander was indicted in D.C. for trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S. since 2005 and firearm offenses, facing up to life in prison.
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted Ivan Cazarin Molina, 42, a Mexican national and alleged regional commander for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), on charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the offense. Molina, also known as 'Tanque,' allegedly led CJNG operations in Veracruz, Mexico, from 2005 through 2025, coordinating drug trafficking activities that fueled violence and instability. The indictment follows the U.S. Secretary of State’s February 2025 designation of CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization, underscoring the gravity of the charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment as part of a broader effort to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, with Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva emphasizing the commitment to prosecute cartel leaders responsible for drug trafficking and community destruction. The case was investigated by the DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit in Los Angeles, with prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section leading the legal proceedings.
Molina is charged with conspiring to manufacture and distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine and 500 grams of methamphetamine for importation into the U.S., as well as using, carrying, and discharging firearms in relation to the drug trafficking conspiracy. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 40 years in prison and a maximum of two consecutive life sentences, reflecting the severity of the offenses and the government’s zero-tolerance approach to cartel leadership.
Molina was arrested on October 5 by Mexican authorities in Jalisco, Mexico, and the case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, a whole-of-government effort to eliminate cartels, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The HSTF coordinates across agencies to target violent criminal networks, including those involved in child trafficking and human smuggling, using all available legal tools to dismantle their operations and bring leaders to justice.