PRESIDIO — On August 17, Sergio Menchaca — also known as “El Menchaca” — was arrested in Presidio, according to reports from multiple news outlets in Mexico. Menchaca is an alleged leader of the La Línea cartel, whose territory spans Aldama, Coyame, Ojinaga and Manuel Benavides in northeastern Chihuahua.
Ricardo Holguín of El Heraldo de Chihuahua reportedly confirmed with the state attorney general, César Jaúregi Moreno, that Menchaca had been arrested in Presidio.
Holguin’s reporting has been widely cited in the Mexican press, but American authorities, including representatives for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Agency — the lead agency on the investigation — have not yet confirmed any details on the matter.
Menchaca has been suspected of involvement with organized crime for at least 15 years and accused of a variety of crimes on both sides of the border including the trafficking of drugs, money and arms.
La Línea has been responsible for violence and upheaval between Ojinaga and Chihuahua City for years. In 2019, the cartel was accused of orchestrating the murder of Andrés Lara Durán, a police commander from Ojinaga — one victim of a rash of killings of leaders within the State Investigative Agency of the state of Chihuahua.