Intelligence and aerial surveillance guide the search
Investigators focused on western Zapopan after the Jalisco Security Secretariat's Intelligence and Cyber Police units examined places Casillas was believed to visit. Information supplied by the U.S. Marshals Service helped guide the search, which combined officers on the ground with aerial surveillance and drones.
The search led to Residencial Poniente, a neighborhood in the Valle Real area. Assisted by the Drone Unit, officers found Casillas where Central Guillermo González Camarena Avenue meets Urbano San Román Gómez Street. Police checked his identity and confirmed the outstanding court orders before arresting him. State police reported no incidents during the operation.
El País placed the arrest at around midday on Friday and reported that Black Hawk-style helicopters used in the operation attracted national media coverage. According to Mural, participating personnel came from the State Preventive Commissariat, Intelligence, Police Tactics, ARES and the Drone Squadron.
U.S. charges and alleged cartel ties
The San Diego, California, warrant dates to June. State authorities identified homicide, attempted homicide and federal drug-related offenses as the allegations underlying the U.S. request for Casillas.
In its October 23, 2026, report, Excelsior said authorities also describe Casillas as an alleged Sinaloa Cartel operator. The outlet connected his nickname to narcocorridos, including "Huevos con Chorizo" and a song performed by Grupo Otro Nivel with a lyric describing trucks as a hobby and a source of entertainment.
Transfer to immigration authorities
Jalisco authorities said Casillas' detention brought the state's total to 20 arrests of priority targets sought by U.S. agencies through coordinated operations and intelligence sharing. In this case, U.S. authorities supplied information while Jalisco units carried out the search and arrest.
After taking Casillas into custody, officials transferred him to the National Migration Institute (INM). The institute began the procedures for handing him over to the U.S. authorities seeking him; the legal process to bring him before those authorities remains the next step.
