SAA event in Mexico on Thu 4th December 2025

In a high-profile operation carried out on December 2, 2025, in Tijuana, Baja California, members of the Mexican Army dealt a double blow to organized crime by capturing leaders and operatives of rival criminal groups.

Among those arrested was Gustavo Antonio Camacho Espinoza, alias “Tavo,” identified as a cell leader of the Beltrán Leyva cartel and a key operator in drug trafficking to the United States.

Along with “Tavo,” two other members of the Beltrán Leyva organization were arrested. Gustavo “N” is considered a priority target for the Federal Government and faces legal charges in the United States.

Military sources indicated that “Tavo’s” presence in the border city was part of the organization’s attempt to maintain its influence in highly contested drug trafficking corridors.

In a simultaneous operation, also in Tijuana, military personnel, in coordination with the National Guard and the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO), executed two search warrants that led to the arrest of two men allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.

During the raids, authorities seized a significant arsenal and illicit materials connected to the operations of both groups:

9 kilograms and 330 fentanyl pills

4 handguns

1 rifle

Ammunition of various calibers

6 cell phones

2 properties used by the criminal groups

All the seized materials and the five detainees were turned over to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) of the Attorney General's Office (FGR), which will present them before a judge to determine their legal status.