On Oct. 16, 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, standing next to a large "Wanted" poster of El Mencho, announced a $10 million reward for his capture and unveiled detailed indictments against him and CJNG. Who is the richest person in the world? He said he was not involved in the heroin deal and that the undercover agents were lying about him handling the drugs. Bounty: US$10 million offered from the U.S. government; MXN$30 million offered from Mexico's, Originally the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was known as "Los Mata Zetas" and was an, Other sources state that the tequila company is based in. They believe he does not stay in one place for long, and travels across several municipalities in Jalisco and into the states of Michoacn, Colima, and Nayarit. The cartels, including CJNG, are feeling empowered because of the rampantviolence in Mexico, said Paul Craine, a retired DEA supervisor who oversaw the U.S. hunt for El Chapo. Oseguera, who had a $10 million bounty placed on his head by U.S. authorities in 2018, has masterminded the CJNG's emergence as a criminal empire spanning five continents and is one of few. In 2013, Mexican authorities accused him of murder in Michoacn. [28] Abigael was arrested by the Mexican Navy on 28 February 2015. The violent CJNG is widely viewed as the most powerful gang in Mexico alongside the Sinaloa Cartel. It is now the primary drug trafficking organization in 24 of Mexicos 32 states, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. But someCJNGbossesdidnt follow those rules. As before, all of the U.S.-based assets of these businesses were frozen, and U.S. citizens were prohibited from doing business with them. [58] In March 2014, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, based on the previous investigations by the DEA, indicted El Mencho for several charges, including drug trafficking and for being leaders of a "Continuing Criminal Enterprise". El Mencho and his cartel, with more than 5,000 members worldwide, have a clear-cut objective: "They want to control the entire drug market," said Matthew Donahue, who oversees foreign operations for the DEA. It also forbids any U.S. bank to approve loans or credit card transactions for those CJNG-backed enterprises. Those who tried to run were tortured, killed and sometimescannibalizedby fellow recruits in what U.S. federal agents describe as a disturbing riteof passage. I've implanted you a fee which you must pay. Five years later, they discovered he had used firearms to facilitate his operations. The cartel has run brothels in Mexico, often using teens and women forced into CJNG's web. Last year, when the arrest of alleged Sinaloa cartel member Ovidio Guzmn, El Chapos son, drew cartel fighters into the streets of Culiacan, authorities opted to release him. Photos of Cartel Jalisco New Generation leader Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera and methamphetamine confiscated in a local operation are displayed at a news conference at the DEA San Diego office . But thats the kind of dynamic weve seen in other cities in Mexico.. By 2014, cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, was indicted by a district court in Washington, D.C., on charges of running a continuous criminal enterprise, and for the alleged manufacture, importation and distribution of cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine. He is among the DEAs most wanted fugitives; the U.S. government has offered a $10million reward for information leading to his capture. In the hours after the attack, senior Mexican officials, including the mayor of Mexico City, refused to speculate on who might have been responsible. [10] At the age of 14 he started guarding marijuana plantations. And though few Americans know his name, authorities promise they soon will. [65], On 16 October 2018, the Departments of State, Justice, and Treasury announced a joint law-enforcement measure against the CJNG, and increased El Mencho's bounty to US$10million from US$5million. An unscrupulous drugs cartel has issued an open letter in a bid to win over terrified locals. Mexican authorities arrested the brother of the supreme leader of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Tuesday. His second security circle is much larger in size and serves as a rearguard to notify El Mencho's inner circle of suspicious activity and ambush potential parties that attempt to get close to him. [27] On an international scale, the CJNG is mainly focused on trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine. Closethe air vents. The answer, The Courier Journal found, kept pointing to CJNG. More than 60 were targeted, including a biotech consulting company, a bakery and hillside vacation cabins. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has killed judges, congressmen, dozens of police officers and thousands of civilians. Though he has the same last name as El Mencho, he was listed as his son-in-law and not as one of his brothers. CJNG even established a cell in south-central Virginia, buying or renting a cluster of modest homes in Axton an unincorporated community of roughly 6,500. In September 1992, he was arrested again, this time on federal drug charges in Sacramento, California. Born into poverty in Mexico, El Mencho grew avocados and dropped out of primary school before immigrating illegally to the U.S. in the 1980s. [39] On 30 March, CJNG gunmen in Zapopan, Jalisco, ambushed a convoy containing Alejandro Solorio Archiga, Jalisco's security commissioner. Make no mistake, Taylor said. [44], A month later on 1 May 2015, the Mexican government launched Operation Jalisco, a military-led campaign that intended to combat organized crime groups in Jalisco and capture their respective leaders. He shares intel with the DEA,but not his own people. Dozens of couriers throughout the U.S. would then collect the drug profits and use the dirty moneyto buy scrap and fine gold. Through corruption and intimidation, CJNG has thrived, even as it found additional ways to make money. Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. [96] At the time of this arrest, El Mencho's wife was found to be financial chief of the CJNG.[97]. 1 killer. A veteran Jalisco police officer, whoasked not to be identified for his safety, said CJNG has officials on its payroll at thelocal, state and federal levels. 20 Dec 2022 0. He quickly amassed a privatearmy, with CJNG members recruitingor kidnappinghundreds of men in their 20s and boys as young as 12. Officials in Attorney General William Barr's office declined to comment on The Courier Journal's findings. Garca Harfuchs armored Chevrolet Suburban had been struck by dozens of bullets. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. [46], In the small town of Villa Purificacin, Jalisco, El Mencho's men shot down a Mexican Army helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, killing 9 soldiers. Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes rules the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel. They got "Shorty," but Mexican authorities are dragging their feet on the fate of another 150 jailed drug traffickers awaiting extradition to the United States, a federal source told The Post. The trail of viole His defense understood that if he decided on a jury trial, they would likely win the case. Guerrero served as El Mencho's regional head in the Cinega and northern Los Altos regions in Jalisco, along with southeastern Guanajuato. Moreover, the U.S. lacks the authority to make arrests in foreign countries, said Evans, a senior DEA official. Who was to blame? [21], The Milenio Cartel split into two. According to the DEA, the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation now controls 23 of Mexico's 32 states. Mexican Army at the border with Guatemala (Photo shared by Guatemala's Army official Twitter) Alleged members of Mexico's ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known . Under Coronel, El Mencho and his group managed the Sinaloa Cartel's drug operations, finances, and murder activities in the states of Colima and Jalisco. Omar Garca Harfuch was shot three times in the June 26 attack but survived. The populist leader campaigned under the slogan Abrazos, no balazos Hugs, not Bullets suggesting that he would not launch a military offensive to curb the Jalisco cartels influence. That designation allowed the department to levy sanctions against Mexican businesses linked to the cartels, includinga sushi restaurant, a tequila business, shopping centers, a medical clinic, two newspapers and famed Hotelito Desconocido, visited by Hollywood stars. In an international operation that stretches back to 2011 dubbed "King's Gold," Homeland Security investigatorsin Chicago uncovered a money laundering organization that funneled more than $101 million to CJNG and another cartel. [84][85], In addition, Mexican authorities suspected in 2016 that Omar Eleazar Oseguera Cervantes was part of the CJNG leadership structure. United States District Court for the District of Columbia, United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, Infobae: Cmo es y qu se sabe hasta ahora sobre la nueva pareja sentimental del "Mencho", ""El Mencho" est muerto? Following their downfalls, the Milenio Cartel began to rupture and El Mencho tried to take over its leadership structure. They seized more than $1 million in drug moneyhis couriers were hauling to Mexico. The individuals sanctioned were El Mencho's brother Antonio; his son-in-law Julio Alberto Castillo Rodrguez; five of Gonzlez Valencia's siblings: Arnulfo, dgar Edn, Elvis, Marisa Ivette, and Noem; businessman Fabin Felipe Vera Lpez; and attorney Mara Teresa Quintana Navarro. Explore the investigation wall showing the connections of El Mencho and CJNG cartel. On November 15, troops arrested Rosalinda Gonzlez Valencia, wife of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho," one of Mexico's most powerful drug traffickers and leader of the Jalisco Cartel . MEXICO CITY (AP) The Mexican army on Tuesday arrested the brother of the country's most wanted drug cartel boss, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, the Mexico Defense Department said. They just had this rapid ascension because of their non-value of human life, no matter who you are, said Matthew Donahue, the DEAs deputy chief of operations. Three other CJNG suspects were killed. Initial reports stated that El Mencho was captured in the operation, but the Mexican government later confirmed that he was not in custody. She got her older sister, a struggling single mom, involved to make quick money. The organization developed allegiances with smaller groups, sometimes solidified through marriages. . Decatur, IL (62521) Today. Sheriff's investigators say a Paducah, Kentucky, business owner who fell behind on a drug debt was warned last year by the cartel: "If we dont get our money, were gonna kill you and your family.. The investigation documented how in each new community, CJNG uses local traffickers who can blend in to sell their drugs, with no regard for their race or ethnicity. Around the same time, a rival criminal group known as Los Zetas, with the backing of the Gulf Cartel, carried out an armed offensive against the Milenio Cartel in Michoacn. At the site of the assassination attempt against Garca Harfuch in Mexico Citys tony Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood, the police recovered Barrett semiautomatic rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The army said it captured Antonio Oseguera in possession of weapons in a suburb of Guadalajara, the capital of the western state of Jalisco. Though local politicians have been frequent targets, state governors and federal officials have not. Then the group sent three dozen men armed with military-grade weapons into one of the countrys most exclusive neighborhoods, authorities say, to kill the capitals top security official. And yet until last month, many here saw the rise of the cartel as an internal matter for the parties in an interminable drug war. In a Chicago money-laundering case, a Guadalajara businessman working with CJNG urged an informant to settle his drug debt quickly, describing how cartel members settled another mans debt: "They chopped off his fingers.". Write by: A high-ranking state official in Jaliscosaid Americans are too quick to blame Mexico for the U.S. drug crisis. He promised hugs, not bullets. Now Mexicos AMLO is facing an outcry over soaring violence. [18] Los Mata Zetas eventually won the war and consolidated their influence in western Mexico. "my name is PABLO OSEGUERA member carte Jalisco New Generation and pimp of the domestic sexual service house I've been calling you cause you've been speaking to one of my girls which offered you her service and you only made her lose her time. To help Maciassmuggle drugs into the U.S., cartel leaders used a Toyota Camry with a secret compartment on the armrest that opened through a sequence of steps: Turnon the heater. We're guests in their country.. The attack forced the Valencia family to exile in Jalisco. (24 November 2019). But federal agents say CJNG was Kentuckys main supplier of fentanyl at the time of his death. Throughout Mexico, more than 40,000 children and adults remain missing. With a $10 million reward on his head, he's on the U.S. Drug Enforcement. According to the Mexican government, Juan and Miguel are involved with the CJNG. On 1 January 2023, a gang stormed a prison in Ciudad Jurez, Chihuahua, Mexico, resulting in the deaths of 19 people. [32][33] Other reporting stated the U.S authorities had alerted the Mexican authorities based on their surveillance of the subject's girlfriend who was importing meth at Gulfport, Mississippi. After the attacks were over, the government confirmed that El Mencho was in the area and had evaded capture. "When they shot the helicopter out of the sky is when everyone respected CJNG as a powerhouse cartel and a rival of Sinaloa,"Donahue said. his anguished parents asked. Smaller towns. [73] El Cholo was marked for death by El Mencho after he murdered a CJNG financial operator nicknamed "El Colombiano", but the assassination attempt was a failure. Pullup the seat. Throughout the process, El Mencho established himself as one of Mexico's most-wanted criminals. CJNG wasn't the only cartel in the Bluegrass State in 2017, but authorities say it was the main supplier of fentanyl when Louisville's Adam Cooley, who sought heroin, snorted 20 times alethal dose. That made the assassination attempt against Garca Harfuch and news of threats against prominent officials particularly startling. The billion-dollar criminal organization has a large and disciplined army, control of extensive drug routes throughout the U.S., sophisticated money-laundering techniques and an elaborate digital terror campaign, federal drug agents say. . CJNGs increased distribution of fentanyl across the country has helped the synthetic opioid unseat heroin as the nations No. As the security forces moved to the area where El Mencho was allegedly hiding, a gunfight broke out between law enforcement officials and gunmen of the CJNG. ", "Thats kind of hard to believe, but its true.". But will Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, do what he's been threatening for . he asked his team. He got his first glimpse of CJNGs success when he was overseeing drug cases in Los Angeles, a key cartel hub. In June 2020, cartel gunmen carried out a brazen attack in Mexico City that left the police chief seriously . Sometimes the authorities and media try to build these guys up as criminal masterminds, but thats not whats going on, Hope said. [37] On 23 March, Heriberto Acevedo Crdenas (alias "El Gringo" and "El Gero"), one of El Mencho's close associates, was killed in a shootout with the Federal Police in Zacoalco de Torres, Jalisco. [d][4][5] His first name is cited as "Rubn" and/or "Nemesio". Oseguera, 30, is known as "Menchito," after his father, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, 53, the fugitive leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, considered one of Mexico's. Security officials in the United States have been frustrated with the Mexican governments lack of a coherent strategy against the Jalisco cartel and the hampering of anti-drug operations by persistent corruption. "I was surprised that CJNGs efforts and tentacles were reaching into Kentucky, that they had expanded their reach that rapidly, said Evans, who previously headed the Louisville Field Division. [49], According to the Mexican government, El Mencho may be hiding in the state of Jalisco, the CJNG's stronghold. Many are committed by cartels. Pablo Escobar was a Colombian born drug kingpin who had a peak net worth of $30 billion dollars during his lifetime. rick Valencia Salazar, one of the clan members, wanted El Mencho to take command. It also identified at least two dozen "cells," which the DEA defines as places where cartel members set up shop to do business and live in the communities. Some members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) have no qualms about showing their faces, a sign they're confident that official security forces are powerless to stop them and they. 14. . [14], In the Milenio Cartel, El Mencho started as a member of the assassin squad that protected the drug lord Armando Valencia Cornelio (alias "El Maradona"). It hauled inmore than 3 kilos of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid so potent that an amount as small as Abraham Lincoln's cheek on a pennycan be fatal. During that time,overdoses sent more victims to Kentucky's morgues than bullets and car crashes combined withthe commonwealth sufferingthe fifth-highest overdose death rate in the nation. That fight has been waged across America over the past seven years, federal court records show: CJNG is also using a mix of street gangsand white-collar businessmen to move the drugs and hide the money. The cartel alsorecruitsspies in theMexicangovernment and policeto keep its leaders out of jail and avoid drug busts. [88] He was later released in December 2016. The Courier Journal's investigation into CJNG's surge comes during a recent wave of significantviolence among warring drug cartels in Mexico. Robertois awaiting sentencing in Paducah in August for trafficking meth while armed with a gun. Mexico's Defense Ministry arrested Antonio Oseguera, brother of Jalisco Cartel - New Generation (CJNG) leader Nemesio Oseguera, alias 'El Mencho', this Tuesday at 5:20 a.m. (local. Young people who are immersed in addiction problems are easy prey for these organized crime groups.. Mexicos Jalisco New Generation Cartel blazes a bloody trail in rise to power. Those who refuse bribesare threatened or killed. [60] In addition, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas is looking to convict El Mencho for drug trafficking offenses. This article was published more than2 years ago. As they hovered over a cartel convoy, CJNG members fired Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers, shooting down Morales helicopterinto a cluster of trees. . THE Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is in a bloodthirsty power grab across South America as experts warn they are creating an empire even bigger that El Chapo's. CJNG is a 13 billion drug empire led by Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes which has now consolidated power across almost the whole of Mexico. Adults and children are forced to work in CJNG's crude meth super labs vats on patches of dirt hidden in the jungle. As a young adult, he and his older brother, Abraham Oseguera Cervantes,sold heroin to two undercover police officers at a San Francisco bar in 1992 and were sent to federal prison on drug trafficking charges. [35] The purpose of the burning vehicles was to place them as blockades to impede the security forces from traveling across Jalisco's capital and giving El Mencho ample time to escape. A nine-month Courier Journal investigation reveals how CJNG's reach hasspread across the U.S. in the past five years, overwhelming cities and small towns with massive amounts of drugs. [73] CJNG co-founder Erick Valencia Salazar also split with El Mencho and became a high-ranking leader in the Nueva Plaza Cartel. (Video: Reuters). [10][11] He is widely known by his alias "El Mencho", a nickname that derives from the phonetic derivation of Nemesio. More unchecked opportunities. One byproduct of the cartels recruitment campaign was that teenage drug dealers and petty thieves suddenly found themselves working as transnational criminals. American authorities are still seeking his extradition to the U.S. to face drug charges. [54], In 2007, the DEA discovered that El Mencho was involved in a cocaine operation that went through Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and ended in the United States. No one was killed in the fire exchange. American officials have described Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez as a former second-in-command of the fast-growing and ultra-violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Two weeks before Garca Harfuch was targeted in an attack on his convoy, gunmen killed a well-known federal judge, Uriel Villegas Ortiz, and his wife, Vernica Barajas, in the state of Colima. El Mencho was left with few options; if he pleaded not guilty, his brother Abrahamwho already had felony drug sentences in his recordwould probably face life in prison. Just hours after the crash, the cartel carried out coordinated attacks in 39 cities, blowingup banks, gas stations and setting cars and semis on fire on major highways to slow down police reinforcements. Entire familieswho resisthave been slaughtered, Donahue said. To build their lucrativedrug networks in the U.S., CJNG bosses mandated discretion to dodge police attention. The direct attacks of the CJNG against Mexico's security forces earned El Mencho a reputation among authorities as "principal enemy" of the state and as a dangerous criminal. He is wanted for drug trafficking, organized crime involvement, and undocumented possession of firearms. Eleven months after the Lexington raid, a SWAT team crept in the darkness and blasted off the front door of the tire shop owner's house in Louisville. Histestimony helped convict a trafficker connected to CJNG in 2014. Yet, no sooner had authorities busted Kentucky's CJNG ringthan the cartel replaced Macias, sending in another team. In2015, ElMenchoflexed that power to strike back at law enforcement who tried to stop him. The cartel circulates these images of torture and execution on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to spread fear and intimidation. In the absence of conclusive testimony from suspected attackers, the question of why the cartel would attempt such a high-profile killing remains unanswered. In America, Hispanic workers find themselves looked atwith suspicion because of political rhetoric that brands the drug trade and immigration as one and the same, say advocates for those workers. [79] He was arrested in Jalisco on December 4, 2015 by the Mexican Army and Navy for working as one of El Mencho's top financial operators. In December 2022, El Mencho's brother Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Tony Montana," was arrested during an army raid in Guadalajara. CJNG is "among us. And federal prosecutors alleged in court that convicted drug traffickerJesus Enrique Palomera, theleader of a cartel cell in Tacoma, Washington, ordered the kidnapping and murderof a manwhose fingers and toes werechopped off a commonmethod of torturein Mexico. Post navigation. [75] El Cholo was later murdered, with his body being discovered stabbed and wrapped in plastic on a park bench in downtown Tlaquepaque on 18 March 2021. But DEA agents across the border are sharing intelligence and working with their Mexican counterparts to devise ways to dismantle CJNG and arrest its leaders. [76][77], El Mencho has five brothers: Juan, Miguel, Antonio, Marn and Abraham. CJNG has skirted Mexican and U.S. inspections at legal border crossings by hiding drugs in semitrailers hauling tomatoes, avocados and other produce, dumping at least 5 tons of cocaine and 5 tons of meth into this country every month, according to DEA estimates. [54] In 2014, however, the DEA noticed a radical shift in the CJNG's modus operandi; El Mencho was discovered to have coordinated a methamphetamine shipment that went from Mexico to Australia then to the U.S. by leveraging China-based gangs. With a $10 million reward on his head, hes on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrations Most Wanted list. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [38], In response to his death, El Mencho commanded the CJNG to carry out attacks against the Mexican Federal Police. He's a recluse, a cockfighting high-roller, a former cop and a maniac. We believe that we are very far from achieving the goal of reducing the flow of weapons that nurture organized crime and that generate violence in our country, said a senior Foreign Ministry official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly about the issue. Even after El Mencho's girlfriend went to prison, the cartel quickly returned to the Gulf Coast with more loads of drugs. Rubn "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes is the leader of Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin, better known as CJNG. The Mexican army on Tuesday arrested the brother of the country's most wanted drug cartel boss, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, the Mexico Defense Department said. JALISCO CARTEL / 9 APR 2021 BY VICTORIA DITTMAR AND DARIO ZUZA EN Sanctions recently imposed by the United States and Mexico on CJNG members allegedly linked to two high-profile murders demonstrate that the criminal group is one of the few remaining with a traditional hierarchical structure. Abraham was in charge of the transaction, while El Mencho acted as a lookout. "That's the type ofterrorists were dealing with here.". Last year was the deadliest in Mexicos recent history, with 35,588 homicides. [61] Police are investigating whether El Mencho gave the order to execute him, but no charges have been filed. Beth Warren. Female cartel boss known as 'Dame of Death' killed in shootout with Mexican state forces Just 21, 'La Catrina' was a suspected boss in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel led by Nemesio. During a brief telephonecallfrom prison in August 2019,Palomerasaid heis a family manwhonever harmed anyone. [14], Three weeks after the incident both men were arrested by the police. They stormed a hideout west of Guadalajara, but the cartel leader climbed into a vehicle and was rushed to safety. Both are now in prison for money laundering, and her sister, who has two children living in Kentucky, faces deportation. [82][83] El Mencho's son Rubn was regarded by the Mexican government as the second-in-command in the CJNG prior to his arrest in 2014. Who is El Mencho, the most powerful drug kingpin in the world? Oseguera, a former policeman, has masterminded the CJNG's emergence as a criminal empire spanning five continents and a rival to the Sinaloa Cartel of captured kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo'. Rubn Oseguera Cervantes aka El Mencho and his wife Rosalinda Gonzlez Valencia have managed to stay under the radar for a long time. In recent times El Mencho (real name Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes) has taken over from his one-time ally, the now-jailed Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, as Mexico's most feared crime boss.