United States Attorney Adam Gordon announced new charges against Rene Arzate Garcia, known as “La Rana,” during a press conference on February 26, 2026. The event was attended by lead prosecutors Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Mellor and Matthew Sutton, along with representatives from the DEA, FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Gordon stated: “Sagitario. Chavo Felix. Flaquito. Payo. Valdez-Ruiz. They’re here. They’re charged. They’re only the beginning.” He noted that less than 300 days ago these cartel leaders were free but are now in federal custody in the Southern District of California.
“When I told them that they were no longer the hunters, they were the hunted, that wasn’t a threat, it was a certainty. Foreign terrorist organizations may operate across borders – but justice doesn’t stop at them. Recent reports regarding cartel leadership in Mexico underscore a simple truth: criminal organizations built on fear and violence are inherently unstable. Individuals may rise and fall, but the rule of law endures,” Gordon said.
The new superseding indictment against La Rana includes charges such as narco-terrorism, material support of terrorism, conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, international conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and money laundering.
Gordon highlighted that “the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs is offering up to $5 million each for information leading to the arrests and/or convictions of La Rana and his brother, Alfonso Arzate-Garcia, a/k/a ‘Aquiles.’ This partnership is a credit to President Trump’s and Attorney General Bondi’s vision of the complete eradication of foreign terrorist organizations.”
He explained that in 2014 both brothers were charged with drug trafficking offenses in separate indictments in the Southern District of California and have been fugitives since then.
According to Gordon: “After that, La Rana has taken a greater role in the Sinaloa Cartel and is one of the cartel’s most prolific drug traffickers and enforcers.”
He continued: “You’ll hear shortly about the specific ways that La Rana has brutally controlled the Tijuana Plazas for the Sinaloa Cartel through intimidation and bloodshed. These charges reflect the devastating harm inflicted on communities on both sides of the border — through violence, addiction, and intimidation.”
Gordon also addressed remaining cartel members: “To those cartel leaders that remain at large, here’s the question: Who can you trust when you can’t trust anyone? When the fear you once used to control others now controls you.”
He concluded with this warning: “Because for those who remain at large: Hide. Run. Fight. Flee. The illusion is that you have a choice. The reality is simple: surrender to justice or you’ll be brought to justice.”
Gordon reaffirmed law enforcement’s commitment by stating: “What unites us in law enforcement is a belief in the rule of law – and in the inevitability of justice. Today we reaffirm that commitment. The rule of law does not blink. It does not back down.”
Assistant United States Attorney Josh Mellor was invited to provide further details about the indictment.
