CJNG Operator and Union Figure Nazario Ramírez Arrested in Guadalajara

Guadalajara, Jalisco (October 14, 2025) —
Federal and state security forces detained Nazario Ramírez Ramírez, identified as a principal operator of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and an alleged coordinator of extortion and drug distribution networks across Jalisco and Puebla. The arrest occurred during a multi-agency operation involving SEDENA, SEMAR, FGR, Guardia Nacional, SSPC, and the Government of Jalisco, following four court-ordered searches targeting cartel-linked properties.

Authorities recovered two firearms, ten magazines, 186 rounds of ammunition, one kilogram and 170 doses of methamphetamine, several mobile devices, and five vehicles, one of them armored.

Intelligence reports describe Ramírez as a key link between CJNG’s organized-crime operations and the “Sindicato” (union) structure in Guadalajara, which authorities believe has functioned similarly to Italian mafia unions in the United States, providing labor, commercial, and political cover for criminal rackets such as extortion, money laundering, and coercive control over local markets.
Ramírez is also reported to be the brother in law of Leopoldo Castellanos, a Guadalajara attorney who survived an armed attack in the upscale Andares district earlier this year. Investigators suspect the attack was related to internal disputes within CJNG’s regional financial and legal networks.

The case highlights the deepening overlap between labor unions and organized crime in Jalisco, where “sindicato” organizations have increasingly served as enforcement arms or fronts for cartel-linked revenue schemes.