18,785 Pesos a Month in Pension, 60 Million Pesos in Bets: Mexico’s Navy Arrests Retired Captain ‘Capitán Sol’ Near Guadalajara, Accused of Paying Off Customs in Fuel-Smuggling Ring
On a retired Mexican Navy captain’s pension of 18,785 pesos a month, Miguel Ángel Solano Ruiz, alias “Capitán Sol,” spent more than 60 million pesos on bets at Mexico City’s Hipódromo de las Américas racetrack and at casinos in five years, according to an Attorney General’s Office (FGR) investigation cited by Infobae on Oct. 2, 2026. Mexico’s Navy (Semar) says it arrested him in Zapopan, in the Guadalajara area of Jalisco, on a warrant for organized crime aimed at committing hydrocarbon crimes. The case: “huachicol fiscal,” fuel smuggled through Mexico’s seaports.
The arrest in Zapopan
Semar announced the arrest on X on Friday, Oct. 2, saying it worked with the FGR and the Security Secretariat (SSPC) on a warrant in criminal case 325/2025. According to Semar’s account reported by Excélsior, marines and federal agents searched a property in the Villa Verona subdivision on the night of Oct. 1. Infobae cited Mexico’s National Detention Registry, which logged the arrest at 12:52 a.m. on Oct. 2 at Siena and Águila streets in Colonia San Juan de Ocotán and credited it to the SSPC. Semar said its intelligence work tracked addresses linked to him in Mexico and movements in France, Greece, Monaco and Spain, Infobae reported.
What prosecutors allege
Infobae reported that the FGR describes Solano Ruiz as a central figure in the scheme who handled payments to customs officials. According to Infobae, authorities say he took part in unloading 31 ships at the Altamira and Tampico customs posts in Tamaulipas that allegedly brought in smuggled fuel. Infobae’s sources place him in “Los Primos,” the network the FGR says was headed by brothers Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna and Rear Admiral Fernando Farías Laguna. Both brothers are now held at Altiplano, Infobae and Expansión have reported.
Infobae also cited FGR findings that racetracks and casinos filed 400 alerts with financial authorities over his betting from 2015 to 2023. He held 11 bank accounts and bought eight properties, six in Veracruz and two in Mexico City, for 13 million pesos. Infobae quoted the FGR: “It is not consistent how a retiree can lead a life with spending above 60 million pesos.” La Silla Rota, citing witness statements in the case file, reported on Oct. 3 that he acted as the shadow “boss of all the customs houses” and used the encrypted app Threema to give orders.
Solano Ruiz has not been convicted. A judge will decide his legal status. No authority has linked him to a drug cartel.
Sources
- Infobae, “‘El Capitán Sol’ llega al Altiplano,” Oct. 2, 2026
- Excélsior (Raúl Flores, Mauricio Alvarado Martínez), “Detienen a ‘Capitán Sol’, implicado clave en red de huachicol fiscal,” Oct. 2, 2026
- El Financiero, “Detienen a ‘Capitán Sol’, retirado de la Marina y clave en el huachicol fiscal, en Zapopan, Jalisco,” Oct. 2, 2026
- La Silla Rota, “El capitán ‘Fantasma’: el ‘jefe de todas las aduanas’ en la trama del huachicol fiscal,” Oct. 3, 2026
- Infobae, “Procesan al excontralmirante Fernando Farías Laguna por el caso de huachicol fiscal,” Aug. 27, 2026
- Expansión Política, “¿Quién es Fernando Farías Laguna?,” Aug. 20, 2026
- Photos: Secretaría de Marina, via Infobae and Excélsior
Reported Oct. 3, 2026, from the outlets above. Accounts of the exact arrest time and location in Zapopan differ between Semar’s statement and the National Detention Registry, as reported. Financial figures come from FGR findings as reported by Infobae and have not been tested in court.