Mexican authorities detain Isai “N”
Mexican police arrested a nephew of el Chapo Guzman
Mexico City, May 26 (EFE).-
Mexican authorities arrested Isaí “N” in Nogales, Sonora (northeast), identified as the nephew of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who has an extradition order for “crimes of organized crime and crimes against health.”
Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) Omar García Harfuch reported the arrest on social media, though he did not specify which country is requesting his extradition.
According to federal sources who spoke with EFE, the detainee Isaí Martínez Cepeda, also known as “El Chinacate,” is the nephew of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as “El Chapo,” and the brother of Enoc Martínez Cepeda, also known as “El Vocho.”
The SSPC later stated that the detainee is accused of being a “logistical operator of a criminal group in charge of producing and distributing synthetic drugs to the United States and Costa Rica.”
He allegedly coordinated the sale of 10,000 fentanyl pills to the US in 2025.
“El Chapo’s” nephew is reportedly a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington designated a terrorist organization in 2025. Specifically, he belongs to the Los Chapitos faction.
Following an investigation and aerial surveillance, Mexican agents located the detainee on a property in Nogales. They accessed the property after a judge approved the search warrant.
“After an operative deployment, the judicial order was executed, and Isaí ‘N’ arrested. Two long firearms and cartridges were seized,” the authorities explained, adding that the residence remained under police custody.
Personnel from the Secretariat of National Defense, the Prosecutor General’s Office (FGR in Spanish), the National Guard, and the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) participated in the operation against the alleged Sinaloa Cartel member.
In another action against drug trafficking in Tapachula, located in the southeast region of the country, a search warrant was executed on a property where 687 kilograms of cocaine, 151 firearms, 363 magazines, and 18 grenades were seized.
In addition, two tractor-trailers, three closed cargo boxes, and nine containers were confiscated.
The seizure was part of an investigation that identified a property linked to a criminal group operating under the guise of a parking lot for cargo vehicles.
The arrest on Tuesday comes at a time when the Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is defending Mexico’s security strategy, based on investigation, inter-institutional coordination, and territorial deployment.
Meanwhile, civil organizations are warning that violence persists in several states in the country, and the US is pressuring Mexico to produce results in the fight against these criminal gangs.EFE csr-des/dgp
