U.S.-backed capture of cartel baby‑trafficking ringleader
In a U.S.-Mexican operation, authorities captured Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar ('La Diabla') on Sept. 2, 2025; U.S. intelligence from the National Counterterrorism Center helped tip Mexican forces, and U.S. agencies including the Marshals, FBI El Paso, DSS and CBP provided support. Mexican prosecutors say she led a Jalisco New Generation Cartel network that lured pregnant women, allegedly carried out illegal C-sections, killed the mothers, harvested organs, and sold newborns — sometimes to buyers in the United States — for roughly 250,000 pesos each.
International
Crime
National Security
📰 Sources (1)
U.S. intelligence leads to capture of alleged baby trafficking ringleader
New information:
- Capture date: Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar was arrested on Sept. 2, 2025 in northern Mexico.
- Alleged crimes: Traffickers allegedly performed illegal cesarean operations, killed mothers, harvested organs postmortem, and sold infants into illicit markets.
- U.S. role and policy context: NCTC provided intelligence and tracked Aguilar; U.S. Marshals Service, FBI El Paso, Diplomatic Security Service and CBP supported Mexican law enforcement; the operation occurs amid U.S. FTO designations of cartels and expanded counterterrorism tools.