Overview
- In a coordinated operation in Surutato, Badiraguato, federal forces from SSPC, Sedena, Semar, FGR and the National Guard identified the suspect during patrols, verified his identity and executed an outstanding warrant for organized crime tied to arms trafficking.
- The detainee is widely reported as Juan Pablo Vargas Báez, 26, alias “El Chuki,” while official statements identify him as Juan Pablo “N.”
- Authorities describe him as a pilot serving the Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Chapitos faction and characterize the detention as a strategic blow to its aviation and logistics network after months of investigation.
- He was informed of his legal rights and turned over to the Attorney General’s Office, which will present him to a federal judge; officials have not detailed any seizures from the arrest.
- Prosecutors place the suspect in cause 15/2023 alongside roughly a dozen high-profile targets, including Ovidio Guzmán López, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and Julio César Chávez Jr.; separate Sinaloa patrols reported two additional arrests and one death after a confrontation.