
Alleged Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl producer charged in newly unsealed US federal indictment
Fox News
Alleged Sinaloa Cartel fentanyl producer Ivan Valerio Sainz Salazar, known as 'Mantecas,' was arrested in Mexico and charged with trafficking millions of deadly pills for the Chapitos.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Mexican authorities arrested Sainz Salazar and several alleged associates in Badiraguato, Sinaloa, on Jan. 19, 2026, according to Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, Omar H. Garcia Harfuch. Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
"In an operation carried out by the National Guard, the Mexican Army and Air Force, authorities detained Iván Valerio ‘N,’ alias ‘Mantecas,’ leader of a faction linked to the Beltrán Leyva organization," Garcia Harfuch wrote on X. "He was arrested along with 7 members of his group, as well as firearms, vehicles and a synthetic drug production center. The investigation is ongoing."













