Alfonso Fernández Magallón, known as “Poncho La Quiringua”, was arrested in an operation by the Mexican Army carried out by land and air in the state of Michoacán. According to available information, he is considered the current leader of the Los Reyes Cartel, one of the criminal cells that make up United Cartels.
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The United States government had a reward of five million dollars for information leading to his capture. According to the information provided, Fernández Magallón was a partner of Luis Enrique Barragán Chávez, alias “R5” or “Wuicho”, identified as another priority target of U.S. security agencies.
An investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) concluded that “Poncho La Quiringua” trafficked cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine to the United States for decades alongside his allies from United Cartels, led by Juan José Farías Álvarez, alias “El Abuelo”, from Tepalcatepec.
According to that investigation, Fernández Magallón controlled airstrips used by aircraft transporting cocaine from Colombia to Michoacán.
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It is also indicated that he recruited Colombian mercenaries specialized in handling explosives and drones with the aim of confronting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an organization with which the Los Reyes Cartel disputes control of the municipalities of Los Reyes, Tingüindín, Tocumbo, and Peribán in Michoacán.
In February, the U.S. Department of State designated United Cartels as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). The information indicates that this organization emerged as an alliance of criminal cells in Michoacán to prevent the incursion of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel into the western part of the state.
Finally, Fernández Magallón is wanted by a District Court of Columbia for conspiracy to traffic drugs and firearms-related offenses, charges dating back to July 2023 and made public in July 2025, coinciding with the announcement of U.S. Treasury sanctions against leaders of United Cartels and the reward offer for his capture.
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