An armed group attacked a police convoy near the El Soyate ranch, owned by the Aguilar family in Zacatecas, on February 12. Authorities detained four people, including the presumed leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel known as El Braca, with no injuries reported. Pepe Aguilar and officials debunked rumors that the incident targeted his family.
On the afternoon of February 12, 2026, members of the Zacatecas State Police conducted an operation in the Tayahua area, Villanueva municipality, leading to the capture of El Braca, a presumed plaza chief for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. During the transfer of the detainee along federal highway 54, near the El Soyate ranch, an armed command attacked the convoy with gunfire and an explosive, damaging one unit from the Immediate Reaction Force but causing no injuries.
Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza, Zacatecas Government Secretary, explained that the attack followed a series of recent violent incidents and that three additional people were captured, with long weapons, narcotics, cartridges, and an arsenal seized. The official stressed that the incident had no connection to the Aguilar family, owners of the ranch.
Pepe Aguilar, current owner of El Soyate, built by his father Antonio Aguilar for Flor Silvestre in 1959, debunked rumors of an attack on his daughter Ángela Aguilar and son-in-law Christian Nodal in a statement. 'My family is fine,' the singer wrote, noting he was in Mexico City. He mentioned the ongoing operation in the area and expressed gratitude to his followers, wishing peace for Zacatecas.
President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed during her February 13 press conference that the attack was not against the Aguilars: 'It had nothing to do with them or anything.' Authorities immediately contacted the family for their protection. The El Soyate ranch, located 20 minutes from Villanueva, features traditional Mexican architecture with charrería spaces, a lagoon, and the graves of Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre.
