‘La Patrona’ Arrested Hiding in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche: Woman Accused of Running a Drug, Extortion and Kidnapping Cell in Tabasco’s Jalpa de Méndez — Outlets Tie Her to the CJNG
Federal forces arrested a woman known as “La Patrona” in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche. Mexico’s Security Cabinet (Gabinete de Seguridad) says she was hiding there while running a cell that sold drugs and allegedly carried out extortion, killings and kidnappings in Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco, about 33 kilometers from Villahermosa. Officials identified her only as Noemí “N” and announced the arrest on Oct. 14, 2026.
What officials say she did
According to the federal Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat (SSPC) statement of Oct. 14, troops from the Defense Secretariat, the National Guard and SSPC agents served her with an arrest warrant for asociación delictuosa (criminal association). The Tabasco state prosecutor’s office took part, and the National Intelligence Center supplied information. El Universal reported that the statement calls her one of the region’s main “generators of violence.” It says she coordinated drug sales, extortion, homicides, kidnapping, vehicle theft and the carrying of firearms in Jalpa de Méndez. She was handed to the court that issued the warrant, which will decide her legal status.
The only charge announced so far is the criminal-association warrant. Officials have not publicly charged her with any killing or kidnapping.
The CJNG link
Nación321 and La Jornada reported that she leads a local Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) cell in Tabasco, with Nación321 attributing that to the Security Cabinet. The SSPC release on gob.mx describes her only as the operator of a “criminal cell” and does not name a cartel. A report by the news agency EFE, published by El Financiero, gave her age as 46.
La Jornada de Oriente’s video report on the arrest:
Violence in Jalpa de Méndez
Infobae reported on Oct. 14 that homicide case files in Jalpa de Méndez rose from 16 in 2024 to 29 in 2025, citing the Observatorio Nacional Ciudadano. In the same period, drug-dealing complaints rose from four to 16. Infobae also reported that Mayor José del Carmen Olán acknowledged that criminal groups were fighting for control of the town after five people were killed in Ayapa.
What is not known
Officials have not released her full name, said exactly when she was arrested or tied her to a specific crime. The reports carried no response from her or a lawyer. She has not been convicted and is presumed innocent.
Sources
- Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana (SSPC), “En Campeche, autoridades federales y estatales detienen a una mujer generadora de violencia en Tabasco,” Oct. 14, 2026
- El Universal (Daniela Wachauf), “Cae ‘La Patrona’ en Campeche, operadora de célula delictiva en Tabasco,” Oct. 14, 2026
- Nación321, “Detienen a ‘La Patrona’, lidereza local del Cártel Jalisco en Tabasco,” Oct. 14, 2026
- La Jornada, “Detienen a La Patrona, lideresa del CJNG en Tabasco,” Oct. 14, 2026
- El Financiero (EFE), “Detienen a ‘La Patrona’, presunta líder de grupo vinculado al CJNG en Tabasco,” Oct. 14, 2026
- Infobae, “De Tabasco a Campeche: cae ‘La Patrona’,” Oct. 14, 2026
- Photos: Gabinete de Seguridad / SSPC, via gob.mx; video: La Jornada de Oriente
Reported Oct. 14, 2026, from the official statement and the outlets above. The Narco Blog did not independently verify the allegations, and officials had not said when she will appear before a judge.