MEXICO — Mexican military and federal forces captured Epifanio N., alias “El Pepa” or “Pepa,” a regional plaza boss for the criminal group La Línea, in a precision operation in Chihuahua on Tuesday, September 8 — an arrest U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson publicly credited to direct intelligence-sharing between American and Mexican authorities.
What We Know
Personnel from the Mexican Army and National Guard, working in coordination with the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), detained Epifanio N. in the municipality of Manuel Ojinaga, in the Manuel Benavides-Ojinaga area of Chihuahua, near the U.S. border. The suspect’s son, Alejandro N., was also arrested alongside him in the same operation.
According to Mexico’s Security Cabinet and separate statements from the XI Military Region and 5th Military Zone, the operation resulted from a combination of Mexican military intelligence work and information-sharing with U.S. authorities, including the U.S. Department of Justice through the U.S. Marshals Service.
During the raid, authorities seized one property, five firearms, 16 magazines, 400 rounds of ammunition, and two vehicles.
Both detainees were turned over to the Attorney General’s Office in the city of Chihuahua for further proceedings.