A female cartel leader known as "La Diabla" has been arrested in a joint operation by Mexican and American authorities for running a baby trafficking and organ harvesting ring.
U.S. and Mexican authorities just arrested baby trafficking ringleader, La Diabla.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 25, 2025
She ran a network to lure pregnant women to remote locations, perform C-sections, harvest the organs from the mothers’ bodies, and sell the babies to couples in the U.S.
MONSTER pic.twitter.com/hrmqHEWKUd
Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, would lure poor pregnant women to remote locations where she would perform an illegal C-section on them. These pregnant women would often die during the surgery, and La Diabla would then harvest their organs and sell their newborns to American couples for roughly $14,000, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
*ALIAS “LA DIABLA”, ERA INTEGRANTE DE UNA BANDA DE EXTORSIONISTAS EN EL PAIS.*
— rocio galeano oviedo (@ROCHIGALEANO) September 25, 2025
*La Policía en Ibagué, capturo a “la diabla”, condenada a más de 8 años de prisión por extorsión.*
_Wendy Rodríguez, conocida con el alias ‘La Diabla’, fue capturada por la Policía Metropolitana pic.twitter.com/C4lyI5Ny7u
Joe Kent, the director of the DNI’s National Counterterrorism Center, said, “This is one example of what terrorist cartels will do to diversify their revenue streams and finance operations.”
Mendez remains in Mexican custody, but the investigation into her trafficking ring remains ongoing.
The joint operation is a result of President Trump's January executive order designating Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was added to the list in February.
