Samuel de la Cruz Anaya arrest in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Digi Mart USA News (Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico): Federal forces detained Samuel de la Cruz Anaya, alias ‘El Panda,’ identified as an alleged regional leader of a criminal organization with possible links to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The arrest followed an investigation of nearly ten months that began with the kidnapping of two businessmen in southern Veracruz.
The Secretariat of the Navy and the Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico reported that the capture took place in the Estero del Pantano neighborhood of Coatzacoalcos. The operation was coordinated with the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection and with state and municipal authorities.
According to the investigations, ‘El Panda’ allegedly directed criminal activities in the municipalities of Jáltipan, Cosoleacaque and Minatitlán, where his organization was reportedly involved in kidnappings, extortion, drug distribution and the illicit sale of fuel.
The detention was carried out under an arrest warrant for illegal deprivation of liberty, stemming from the investigation into the kidnapping of two businessmen in Cosoleacaque in January. During the operation, security personnel seized 398,000 pesos in cash, a vehicle and cell phones, which were placed at the disposal of prosecutors to determine any possible connection to the investigated activities.
The arrest represents another development in federal investigations into criminal structures operating in the industrial and petroleum corridor of southern Veracruz, a region where energy facilities and transport routes have supported organizations engaged in fuel theft and illegal trade.
Initial proceedings in the case date back to January 2026, when authorities opened an investigation into the deprivation of liberty of the two businessmen. As part of those actions, security forces located an alleged safe house in El Cocuital, Jáltipan, where an individual known as ‘Sparta,’ linked to possible criminal activity, was detained.
Information obtained during those investigations allowed authorities to identify other alleged members of the organization and track their movements, ultimately locating Samuel de la Cruz Anaya in Coatzacoalcos.
Although various reports identify ‘El Panda’ as an alleged regional operator of the CJNG, the official statement from the Secretariat of the Navy describes him as the leader of a criminal group without expressly specifying membership in that cartel. Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether additional arrest warrants exist against him for extortion, drug trafficking or illicit hydrocarbon trade.
