U.S.-Mexico investigation into ‘baby trafficking ring’ led by ‘La Diabla’ remains active while authorities search for past buyers

U.S. officials provided a detailed update during a briefing at the White House with President Donald Trump on Thursday, crediting the National Intelligence Fusion Cell for the intelligence that led to La Diabla’s September arrest.

 Last month, a joint effort between the two countries resulted in the dismantling of a baby trafficking and organ-harvesting ring linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard provided the update. She described the now-dismantled operation as “insidious” and noted this as a prime example of applying counterterrorism tools against CJNG, designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in February this year.

No new arrests were announced, but she stressed expanded efforts to identify over 20,000 cartel affiliates in U.S. databases — in addition to the American and Mexican buyers who were sold these infants.

 JUST IN: DNI Tulsi Gabbard informs President Trump that her office helped secure the arrest of TOP cartel members in Mexico – including someone who was selling newborn babies and harvesting organs.

That is disgusting. Thank you @DNIGabbard.

"The most insidious – providing… pic.twitter.com/6uCd0GAfzq

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 23, 2025

Tulsi Gabbard just announced that the newly created ‘National Intelligence Fusion Cell’ at the ODNI was able to help Mexico law enforcement catch a BABY trafficker named “La Diabla,” who was kidnapping pregnant women, cutting them open, harvesting organs and selling newborn… pic.twitter.com/3iPn9hT0gX

— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) October 23, 2025

Estimates suggest over 200 infants may have been sold, and efforts are underway to trace their locations in the U.S., potentially through “DNA databases and adoption records,” officials say.

The heinous trafficking operation was led by Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, known as “La Diabla,” who was arrested last month in Ciudad Juárez — following a joint investigation involving the National Counterterrorism Center, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and Mexican law enforcement.

I Voted for this:

Under President Trump's leadership, his administration has cracked down on cartels by treating them as terrorists.

Thanks to U.S. intelligence from the NCTC, Mexican authorities arrested Martha Alicia Mendez Aguilar, aka "La Diabla," a CJNG (The Jalisco New… pic.twitter.com/1SP4Yv8Qz3

—  Don – Disruptor 𓂀 (@AlphaOmegaAI) October 23, 2025

According to Gabbard, the ring lured vulnerable pregnant women — often through false job offers or promises of financial assistance — to remote areas controlled by the CJNG. There, illegal Caesarean procedures (C-sections) were performed to extract their babies, which were then sold to American and Mexican buyers for up to around $14,000 U.S. dollars each.

U.S. officials also say that in several cases, the women were later killed, and their organs harvested for sale on the black market. Authorities have not yet released the total number of victims, and the investigation is still ongoing.

The NCTC described the network as part of the CJNG’s broader pattern of “terrorist cartel” behavior, citing its diversification into human trafficking and organ trade. Authorities confirmed that the trafficking ring operated primarily within Mexico, exploiting the poverty and instability in the Juárez region, a known hub for cartel violence.

The newborns were trafficked to buyers through illicit channels, and authorities are still determining the full scale of the trafficking ring, which exploited Juárez’s proximity to the U.S. border and the CJNG’s extensive criminal network.

La Diabla faces multiple charges in Mexico, including femicide (the intentional murder of women or girls because of their gender), human trafficking, and organized crime.