Mexican Special Forces Capture Top Sinaloa Cartel Operative 'Leo 18,' For Whom The U.S. Was Offering $4 Million

A former top operative for the Sinaloa Cartel was arrested by Mexican special forces after managing to evade authorities for years.

Concretely, Leobardo Garcia Corrales, also known as "Leo 18" and "Leobas," was captured in Mexico City. According to Border Report, he was a confidant of both leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, both of them currently in U.S. prisons.

The outlet added that "Leobas" was working with the "Chapitos," the faction of the cartel led by the sons of "El Chapo," currently engulfed in a bloody turf war with the "Mayiza," led by the son of "El Mayo."

Corrales was considered a top figure in the cartel structure, playing a leading role in the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine. He was also considered a gun and explosives dealer. The U.S. State Department was offering a $4 million reward for any information that could lead to his arrest.

The U.S. is expected to seek the extradition of Corrales, adding to the growing list of top cartel operatives taken to the U.S. in recent months. In fact, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that her administration has more names set for extradition as she steps up cooperation with the Donald Trump government.

The statement came after Mexico handed over almost 30 prisoners to the country earlier this year, a group that included top cartel leaders such as Rafael Caro Quintero and Los Zetas leaders, the Treviño Morales brothers. It also follows a meeting with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem in which the U.S. official gave Sheinbaum a list of President Donald Trump's priorities for combating illegal immigration and cartels.

Those already in the U.S. are facing harsh sentences. In the case of the Los Zetas leaders, prosecutors have asked judges to consider the death penalty. Los Zetas started working as hired assassins and bodyguards for the Cártel del Golfo. The group was widely known for its violent modus operandi, which included kidnappings, extortions and torture to intimidate other rival groups. Rafael Caro Quintero, the infamous Mexican drug lord known as "El Narco de Narcos," could face the same fate.