Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, aka ‘La Diabla’ [She Devil], a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico, allegedly targeted indigent and vulnerable, pregnant women

The Mexican national would lure victims to remote locations where she would perform illegal C-section operations

These expectant mothers often died during the illegal procedures

Aguilar would then harvest the dead mothers’ organs and sell their newborns to US couples for fees ranging up to 250,000 Mexican pesos, [$14,000] 

She was arrested in Juarez, directly across the border from El Paso by Mexican authorities on September 2

She remains in the custody of Mexican authorities while investigations continue

Cartel member Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, aka “La Diabla,” [photo],has been arrested by the National Counter-terrorism Center. The Mexican national is accused of running a baby-trafficking and organ-harvesting ring spanning US and Mexico

A female cartel leader known as “La Diabla” has been busted in a joint US-Mexican operation for allegedly running a deadly baby-trafficking and organ-harvesting ring, federal authorities announced.
Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico whose nickname translates as “She-Devil,” allegedly lured vulnerable and indigent pregnant women to remote locations where she would perform illegal C-section operations, often at the cost of the life of the expectant mother.
She would then harvest the dead mothers’ organs and sell their newborns to US couples for fees that ran as high as 250,000 Mexican pesos, roughly the equivalent of $14,000.

The NCTC posted that Mendez Aguilar has been accused of operating a baby-trafficking and organ-harvesting rings, ‘one example of what terrorist cartels will do to diversify their revenue streams’, the DNI said

“This is one example of what terrorist cartels will do to diversify their revenue streams and finance operations,” said Joe Kent, director of the DNI’s National Counterterrorism Center [NCTC] .
The NCTC and other US agencies collaborated to for provide intelligence that led to the arrest of Mendez Aguilar by Mexican authorities in Juarez, on September 2.— directly across the border from El Paso.
“The lives of innocent women and children depended on” her arrest, Kent said.
The Counterterrorism Center provided intelligence that supported US-Mexican interagency operations and the arrest of a Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)-affiliated baby trafficking ringleader in Juarez, Mexico, on Sept. 2, 2025.
Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, also known as “La Diabla,” remains in Mexican custody as the investigation into the alleged trafficking ring remains ongoing.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, aka ‘El Mencho’, is among the most sought by Mexican and US authorities. The latter has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The case shows how US authorities are actively going after Mexican cartel activity across the border since President Trump signed an executive order in January designating cartels and transnational gangs as foreign terrorist organizations – FTOs.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was among the eight organizations added to the list in February, with the leader, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, aka ‘El Mencho,’ listed among the most sought by Mexican and US authorities.
The US has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.