A joint police operation in Tijuana’s Sánchez Taboada district led to the arrest Wednesday morning of a 33-year-old man who authorities identified as a member of the Arellano Félix Cartel (CAF), one of Baja California’s oldest criminal organizations.
Jorge Alejandro was detained in the Camino Verde neighborhood after municipal, state, and federal officers converged on the area. Police found him carrying a .22-caliber pistol loaded with live rounds. During questioning, he admitted to being a CAF member, according to local reports.
Months of Intelligence Work
Security and intelligence units had been tracking Jorge Alejandro for months. Authorities described him as a “violence generator” in the Camino Verde area, a term Mexican law enforcement uses for individuals tied to killings and armed confrontations in specific neighborhoods. No active arrest warrant had been issued before his detention.
He was transferred to the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office, where he faces federal weapons charges.
CAF’s Continued Presence in Tijuana
The Arellano Félix Cartel, also known as the Tijuana Cartel, was founded in 1987 by the Arellano Félix brothers. Once considered one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations in Mexico, the group has been weakened by decades of arrests and internal fractures. Co-founder Benjamín Arellano Félix is in prison, and Ramón Arellano Félix was killed in 2002.
The cartel has historically operated in Tijuana’s western and central neighborhoods, including Sánchez Taboada. Despite its diminished power relative to rivals like the Sinaloa Cartel, the CAF remains active. In November 2023, the group reportedly stole a massive drug shipment from the Sinaloa Cartel in Tijuana, triggering a wave of retaliatory killings that continued into 2024.
In June 2025, authorities arrested Pablo Edwin Huerta, known as “El Flaquito,” who was described as the alleged leader of the CAF. Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila called that arrest “one of the most significant hits” against organized crime in the state.
Joint Operations Target Sánchez Taboada
Wednesday’s operation involved coordinated action among all three levels of Mexican law enforcement: municipal police, state investigators, and federal agents. The multi-agency approach follows a pattern of joint operations in high-crime neighborhoods across Tijuana’s eastern sprawl.
Sánchez Taboada sits in the southeastern part of the city, inland from the tourist zones near the border crossing. The Camino Verde neighborhood within the district has been a recurring focus of security operations in recent years.
The arrest was first reported by Punto Norte.