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Federal authorities in San Diego have long alleged that brothers René and Alfonso Arzate Garcia are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa cartel who, for roughly 15 years, have used violence and corruption to control key drug-trafficking routes from Baja California into San Diego.
On Thursday, officials took their boldest step yet to publicly ratchet up the pressure on the brothers, who were first indicted in San Diego in 2014, announcing $5 million bounties for information leading to their capture. U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon also unsealed a new narcoterrorism indictment against René Arzate, the younger of the siblings, alleging that in recent years he has climbed the ranks of the Sinaloa cartel to become one of the group’s “most prolific drug traffickers and enforcers.”
Leaders of the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration’s San Diego field offices promised that René Arzate — a 42-year-old known as “La Rana,” or “The Frog” in English — will soon be captured and face justice.
“René Arzate Garcia’s days as a narco-terrorist are numbered,” James Nunnallee, DEA San Diego’s acting special agent in charge, said during a Thursday news conference. “His days as a plaza boss for the Sinaloa cartel … are numbered.”
English (US) ·