Elections of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), in coordination with the Attorney General's Office (FGR) and the armed forces, dismantled a marijuana greenhouse operated by a cell of the criminal group La Familia Michoacana in Mexico City, as part of a transnational network with operations in Costa Rica and Guatemala.

The operation included simultaneous searches of properties located in the municipalities of Cuauhtemoc, Benito Juarez, and Iztacalco, as part of an investigation that identified the criminal organization as responsible for cultivating, processing, distributing, and marketing designer marijuana in different parts of the country and abroad.

During the operation, Sergio Cano "N", alias D3, was captured. He is identified as the leader of this cell, with an operational presence in several districts of the capital: Cuauhtemoc, Iztapalapa, Iztacalco, Benito Juarez, Tlalpan, and Tlahuac, as well as in the municipalities of Chimalhuacan and Nezahualcoyotl in the State of Mexico, in addition to the states of Guerrero and Sinaloa.

Marijuana and equipment for its processing seized

At a home in the Iztacalco borough, authorities seized a marijuana greenhouse, two bags of the drug, a bag of yellow powder, a digital scale, and 1,153 cannabis plants. At another property, located in the Benito Juarez borough and used as a warehouse, 139 packages and a sack containing 35 kilograms of marijuana were found.

In addition to the criminal leader, three other individuals were arrested: Patricio Hernandez 'N', alias Smog, Paolo Zavala 'N', and Francisco Valencia 'N', who are also allegedly linked to the processing and distribution of marijuana in the capital and the State of Mexico.

Investigations indicate that this criminal network used urban homes to install indoor greenhouses with intensive cultivation technology, which facilitated a constant supply of high-end marijuana to both local and international markets.

Transnational Network

Authorities confirmed that the organization maintained operational links with criminal structures in Central America, focused on trafficking marijuana and other illicit substances.

The SSPC reported that operations will continue to completely dismantle this network and reiterated its commitment to combating drug trafficking in urban areas.