The U.S. State Department announced rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrests of René Arzate-García, known as “La Rana,” and his brother, Alfonso “Aquiles” Arzate-García, key leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel operating in Tijuana.
The announcement, made on Thursday, comes as authorities continue to target high-ranking members of the powerful Mexican drug trafficking organization. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Arzate-García brothers have jointly controlled the Tijuana Plaza for the Sinaloa Cartel for the past 15 years, maintaining influence through violence, strategic alliances, and corruption within the political and law enforcement systems.
René Arzate-García faces charges including narcoterrorism, conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, material support to a foreign terrorist organization, international conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, and money laundering. The indictment supersedes a previous 2014 indictment for conspiracy to import marijuana, signaling an escalation in the legal scrutiny of his activities.
Authorities allege that “La Rana” utilizes paramilitary fighters to control territory and employs drones equipped with explosives for surveillance. His group is also reported to possess a substantial arsenal of military-grade weaponry, including assault weapons and grenade launchers.
The State Department’s move underscores the U.S. Government’s concern over the flow of illicit drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the United States. Last year, the Trump administration designated fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction,” and the Sinaloa Cartel has been identified as a significant contributor to the opioid crisis.
Both brothers were previously sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2023. Officials describe both Arzate-García brothers as “extremely violent,” with involvement in enforcement operations including kidnappings and executions.
The announcement of the rewards coincides with a separate, recent operation in Mexico that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, in a rural area near Tapalpa. That operation resulted in numerous casualties among both law enforcement and cartel members, and raised concerns about potential clashes between criminal organizations vying for control of territory previously held by “El Mencho.”
