State security forces arrested an alleged Arellano Félix Cartel hitman on Saturday evening in Tijuana’s Mariano Matamoros neighborhood after a routine stop revealed an active warrant for aggravated homicide.
Officers from the Fuerza Estatal de Seguridad Ciudadana (FESC), Baja California’s state security force, pulled over 27-year-old Alan Bladimir on Calle Corregidora. A database check flagged an arrest warrant for aggravated homicide issued in December 2025. Investigators say the man is a member of the Cártel de los Arellano Félix (CAF), commonly known as the Tijuana Cartel, and allegedly charged 20,000 pesos (roughly $1,000 USD) per killing.
From Routine Stop to Cartel Arrest
The arrest unfolded without incident. After confirming the outstanding warrant, FESC officers detained Alan Bladimir and transferred him to the Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE), Baja California’s State Attorney General’s office. He is expected to appear before a judge on the homicide charge.
The low price tag allegedly attached to each killing, about $1,000 USD, points to the grim economics of cartel violence in Tijuana. Contract killings at that rate are consistent with the use of low-level operatives by criminal organizations competing for territory in the border city.
Arellano Félix Cartel Still Active in Tijuana
The Arellano Félix Cartel was founded in 1987 by brothers Benjamín and Ramón Arellano Félix. Once one of Mexico’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations, the CAF controlled smuggling routes through Baja California and into San Diego and Los Angeles. Decades of arrests, extraditions, and internal splits have weakened the cartel, but it remains active in Tijuana and parts of Baja California Sur.
The group continues to operate through a decentralized network of local cells. It has clashed repeatedly with the Sinaloa Cartel over drug corridors along the U.S. border. Tijuana recorded over 1,500 homicides in 2023, and cartel competition remains one of the primary drivers of violence in the city.
Mariano Matamoros: A Known Hotspot
Mariano Matamoros, the neighborhood where the arrest took place, sits in the eastern hills of Tijuana. The area has long been associated with cartel activity, drug sales, and violent crime. It is located far from the tourist zones near the border crossing and Zona Río, but security operations there often yield arrests tied to organized crime.
The arrest was first reported by Punto Norte.