US offers $10 million reward for Sinaloa Cartel bosses controlling Tijuana plaza

The United States has placed a $10 million bounty on two alleged Sinaloa Cartel leaders, offering rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to their capture or conviction. The State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced the rewards Thursday under the Narcotics Rewards Program, targeting René Arzate-García, also known as "La Rana," and his brother Alfonso Arzate-García, known as "Aquiles."

Tijuana Plaza Leaders and Drug Trafficking

Authorities allege the brothers have jointly controlled the cartel's Tijuana Plaza for over 15 years, maintaining authority through violence, strategic alliances, and deep local influence including political and police corruption . According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, they manage this critical trafficking corridor that funnels deadly drugs including fentanyl, which the Trump Administration has designated as a Weapon of Mass Destruction, into US communities . A superseding indictment unsealed Thursday charges René Arzate-García with narcoterrorism, material support to terrorism, conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, and international drug trafficking conspiracy .

Fugitives Since 2014 and Terrorist Designation

The Arzate-García brothers were first charged in the Southern District of California with drug trafficking offenses in 2014 and have remained fugitives since that time . They were designated by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control in 2023 under Executive Order targeting the global illicit drug trade . Last year, the Trump Administration designated the Sinaloa Cartel as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, enabling enhanced prosecutorial tools including material support violations that carry potential life sentences .

Coordination and Confidential Reporting

The reward offers are coordinated with the DEA San Diego Division and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California in a unified effort to bring the brothers to justice . Officials emphasized that all identities will be kept strictly confidential. Information can be reported to the DEA via phone, WhatsApp, Signal at +1-858-298-5670, Threema ID: PTJ4HS3J, or email at MFSinaloaTipLine@dea.gov .