Mexico arrests cartel leader, US wanted fugitive with $5 million bounty

Mexican authorities have arrested Alfonso Fernández Magallón, also known as "Poncho" or "Poncho La Quiringua," the alleged leader of the Los Reyes Cartel and one of the United States' most wanted fugitives.

Mexico's Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, said the operation was carried out by the Mexican Army in the western state of Michoacán under a judicial warrant charging Fernández Magallón with unlawful detention and incitement to riot.

US authorities had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture.

Fernández Magallón is considered one of the top leaders of the Carteles Unidos alliance, a coalition of criminal groups that the United States designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February 2025.

Following the arrest, suspected cartel members launched a wave of retaliatory violence, blocking roads and setting multiple vehicles on fire in the municipalities of Los Reyes and Peribán, according to Mexican authorities.

Security forces remain deployed in the affected areas as officials work to restore order and prevent further violence.