“El Pepa”, Plaza Boss of La Línea Arrested in Manuel Ojinaga, Chihuahua

The Mexican Army and National Guard captured Epifanio N, alias “El Pepa”, the plaza boss of La Línea, a cell affiliated with the Nuevo Cártel de Juárez, in Manuel Ojinaga, Chihuahua yesterday. This is the first major capture of a Juarez Cartel member since the U.S. designated the group a Foreign Terrorist Organization in July. 

The Mexican Army and National Guard executed the operation in Manuel Ojinaga municipality bordering Presidio, Texas, using military intelligence as well as information sharing with United States authorities. Alejandro N., El Pepa’s son, was also arrested, while authorities secured a property, five firearms, 16 magazines, 400 cartridges, and two vehicles.

According to the military press release, El Pepa has a provisional arrest warrant for extradition to the United States for drug trafficking-related crimes. Mexican authorities say he was responsible for the production and trafficking of drugs, as well as the trafficking of migrants from Mexico to the United States.

In July, the U.S. Department of State designated the Juárez Cartel and Los Viagras as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), bringing the total number of Mexican criminal groups on the list to eight. The Juárez Cartel, one of Mexico’s oldest drug trafficking groups, operates primarily along the Texas-Mexico border in Chihuahua, where it has long controlled major smuggling routes for cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and fentanyl into the United States.

Sources: La Opción, El Diario de Chihuahua, Heraldo de Chihuahua, @GabSeguridadMX, Borderland Beat Archives