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. Between 2014 and 2016, the only region in the country where the CJNG lost its territorial presence was in Mexico City. 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. Pineda Penaloza and his crew were convicted of drug trafficking and are now in federal prison. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He is the most-wanted person in Mexico and one of the most-wanted in the U.S. Nemesio Oseguera-Cervantes. This sanction was also result of another investigation done by the Treasury and the DEA office in Los Angeles. That attack appears to have been carried out by the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel against the Jalisco cartel. 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. 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. Eight soldiers and Morales partner died. [28] The government estimates that El Mencho's group has about US$50billion in total assets. "If an agent saw him, we couldnt say, 'Hey, were gonna grab El Mencho right now, take him and put him into custody.' In June 2020, cartel gunmen carried out a brazen attack in Mexico City that left the police chief seriously . He quickly amassed a privatearmy, with CJNG members recruitingor kidnappinghundreds of men in their 20s and boys as young as 12. Beth Warren. [17][22], To legitimize its presence, El Mencho's group launched a propaganda campaign against its enemies, denouncing extortions done by rival gangs against civilians, businessmen, and government authorities. "If that takes them killing other cartels or killing innocent people, they will do it.". he asked his team. The cartel emerged in 2010, first as an ally of the Sinaloa cartel of Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn, and then, by 2013, as an independent organization trafficking drugs through some of Mexicos central and western states. After the attacks were over, the government confirmed that El Mencho was in the area and had evaded capture. Critics say the Mexican president, known as AMLO, seems more concerned about using federal troops to keep South Americanimmigrants out of his country than challenging the cartels. Throughout Mexico, more than 40,000 children and adults remain missing. Americans who may not know of CJNG today should take note, Dodds said. "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. [23][24], As leader of the CJNG, El Mencho solidified his position and grew his organization through territorial expansion and by corrupting government officials. . Its extreme savagery in Mexico includes beheadings, public hangings, acid baths, even cannibalism. From the shadows, he continues to lead CJNG with ruthless authority. In cases in which immigrants resist the cartel's offer, CJNG members often threatened violence to them or their loved ones back in Mexico, according to court cases and law enforcement officials. Julio Alex Diaz. Smaller police forces. the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacin CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel. [64] The bounty derives from a new arrest warrant issued against him for his alleged participation in masterminding the kidnapping and murder of two agents of the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC), a branch of the PGR, in February 2018. Early Monday morning, a video began circulating on social media in which a man claiming to be Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the head of Mexico's notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel,. In Guanajuato and elsewhere, President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador has debated how to respond to the cartels expansion and the surging violence it has brought. Analysts blame much of the killing on turf wars between the Jalisco cartel and its rivals as it expands into new territory. 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. The attack spread through 20 different towns and in three neighboring states. ", "Thats kind of hard to believe, but its true.". He promised hugs, not bullets. Now Mexicos AMLO is facing an outcry over soaring violence. On the run and out of sight, El Mencho is described by some veteran agents as a ghost. There, he built a thriving drug trafficking business, but the city's dominantcartel ordered him to leave when leaders became threatened by his success. El Menchos powerful international syndicate is flooding the U.S. with thousands of kilos of methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl every year despite being targeted repeatedly by undercover stings, busts and lengthy investigations. All rights reserved. How Mexicos cartel wars shattered American Mormons wary peace, More than 60,000 Mexicans have disappeared amid drug war, officials say. [95], In November 2021, Rosalinda, known as "La Jefa," was arrested in Jalisco's Zapopan municipality. [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. The killing was ordered after Rosales dissed JNGC leader Oseguera Cervantes a.k.a El Mencho on social media (GRAPHIC) More than 60 were targeted, including a biotech consulting company, a bakery and hillside vacation cabins. The organization developed allegiances with smaller groups, sometimes solidified through marriages. Both governments are offering up to $30million and US$10million, respectively, for information leading to his arrest. [34], In a series of highly coordinated tactics to prevent El Mencho's arrest, the CJNG blocked several highways and roads across the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area by setting at least 37 vehicles on fire. 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. "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. The sanction extended to the CJNG, his brother-in-law Abigael Gonzlez Valencia, and Los Cuinis. The investigation documented CJNG operations in at least 35 states and Puerto Rico, a sticky web that has snared struggling business owners, thousands of drug users and Mexican immigrants terrified to challenge cartel orders. 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. 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. If someone you love dies from an overdose tonight, he may very well be to blame. (Video: Reuters). But Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador declined Trump's offer for U.S. troops, saying his country doesn't need help. Three people were killed. Implantation. [28] Abigael was arrested by the Mexican Navy on 28 February 2015. Mexico's President Andrs Manuel Lpez . The day the operation was inaugurated, intelligence reports stated that El Mencho was in Tonaya, which prompted an offensive to apprehend him. 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.". He is wanted for drug trafficking, organized crime involvement, and undocumented possession of firearms. Theyre also working to train Mexican police to improve the country's solve rate for kidnappings and murders, which is less than 5%. [3], Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was born in July 1964 or 1966 in the rural community of Culotitln in Aguililla, Michoacn, Mexico. He dropped out of sixth grade to helphis family pickavocados. [18] Los Mata Zetas eventually won the war and consolidated their influence in western Mexico. But in America, few know who he is or why his rise to power matters. In the 1990s, Abraham was given a 10-year prison sentence in California. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by its Spanish-language acronym, CJNG, is using landmines and explosives-laden drones to kill other gang members, cops and soldiers in a savage. Mexican security forces say they have arrested one of the leaders of the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel. [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. [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. 20 Dec 2022 0. 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. In eightmonths, Sosas crew laundered about $1million for CJNG,stacking drugs and cash behind a wall of their trailer. I've implanted you a fee which you must pay. CJNGs rapid rise heralds the latest chapter in a generations-old drug war in which Mexican cartels are battling to supply Americans insatiable demand for narcotics. 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? 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. Selling drugs in bulk to local traffickers, who then sold to area dealers. [36], On 19 March 2015, in Ocotln, Jalisco, CJNG gunmen ambushed a Federal Police convoy. Even if U.S. and Mexican investigators can track El Mencho's location, capturing him won't be easy. U.S. officials have mapped the rapid expansion of the cartel, known as CJNG for its initials in Spanish. They also contacted more than two dozen accused cartel members or CJNG associates in prison and traveled to Mexico City, Guadalajara and 15 U.S. cities to see firsthand the far-reaching repercussions of El Menchos cartel. In court, El Mencho insisted that he was innocent. [29] Part of El Mencho's success in the drug trade had to do with his ability to strategize market and consumer changes. A judge scheduled her. [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". [60] In addition, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas is looking to convict El Mencho for drug trafficking offenses. He was arrested by the San Francisco Police at the age of 19 for stolen property and carrying a loaded gun. Oseguera Gonzalez pleaded guilty Friday to five counts of engaging in transactions with entities designated as having supported her father's criminal organization. Officials in Attorney General William Barr's office declined to comment on The Courier Journal's findings. [84][85], In addition, Mexican authorities suspected in 2016 that Omar Eleazar Oseguera Cervantes was part of the CJNG leadership structure. According to the DEA, the Jalisco Cartel - New Generation now controls 23 of Mexico's 32 states. But the extradition of close associate Juan Padilla 'El . [71] According to the report, the diversity of these businesses showed that the CJNG was successful at penetrating the economy. [92], In April 2019, El Mencho's godson Adrin Alonso Guerrero Covarrubias was arrested on charges of drug trafficking and kidnapping. Moreover, the U.S. lacks the authority to make arrests in foreign countries, said Evans, a senior DEA official. "We consider this cartel to be one of the five most dangerous transnational criminal organizations on the face of the Earth, and it is doing unimaginable damage to the people of this nation," Sessions said. [20] Two months later, Coronel was killed in a shootout with the Mexican Army. Antonio lived in the U.S. and was released from a Mississippi prison in 2001 after completing his sentence for property damage charges. After his escape, the U.S. took its manhunt public. This short film details The Courier Journal's investigation into CJNG and its leader, El Mencho, began in early 2019 and what was uncovered. Agents say he typically travels in a convoy, surrounding himself withdozens of well-trained mercenaries armed with military-grade weapons that can tear through tanks, even aircraft. [16] It was in this criminal group where El Mencho would become a leading figure in organized crime. Both are now in prison for money laundering, and her sister, who has two children living in Kentucky, faces deportation. [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. Yet, no sooner had authorities busted Kentucky's CJNG ringthan the cartel replaced Macias, sending in another team. An unscrupulous drugs cartel has issued an open letter in a bid to win over terrified locals. [52] El Mencho is believed to live a modest lifestyle compared to other drug kingpins such as Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn and other members of the CJNG in order to keep a low profile and to avoid detection from law enforcement. [14], After three years he was released from prison on parole and deported to Mexico at the age of 30. [72], In March 2017, El Mencho ordered the murder of El Cholo, a former CJNG member who betrayed the CJNG by joining the Nueva Plaza Cartel and conspiring against his former allies. He told his brother that the men to whom they gave the heroin handed over perfectly stacked dollar bills instead of loose ones. Se rumora la supuesta muerte del lder del CJNG; la FGR investiga", "Narcotics Rewards Program: Rubn Oseguera Cervantes", "CJNG & Los Cuinis: Drug Trafficking Organizations", "Houston Fugitives: Nemesio Oseguera-Cervantes", "La acelerada vida de El Mencho, el hombre ms buscado de Mxico", "La Armada de Mxico Asegura A Presuntos Integrantes Del Crtel de Jalisco Nueva Generacin", "Los Oseguera, lderes del crtel de Jalisco", "Nemesio Oseguera 'El Mencho', el gallero al que le gustaba ser un 'fantasma' y capo del narco", "De Menchito no tena nada, conoce al mando del CJNG", "The New Chapo: An inside look at the hunt for El Mencho, Mexico's bloodiest drug lord", "Hermanos del 'Mencho' Oseguera viven fuera de Mxico", "Familiares de 'El Mencho' se amparan; temen detenciones", "Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho', "Detencin de scar Orlando Nava Valencia (a) 'EL LOBO', lder de la Organizacin delictiva 'LOS VALENCIA', "Capturan a lder del crtel de 'Los Valencia', "Crystal meth 'superpower': An upstart cartel is climbing to the top of Mexico's narco underworld", "El nio que cultivaba aguacates y lleg a arrebatarle parte del negocio a "El Chapo" Guzmn", "From Police Officer to Drug Lord: The Rise of Mexico's Most Wanted Man", "Radiografa del narco: crteles del Pacfico y Jalisco, dominan; Templarios y Zetas se repliegan", "Guzman extradition opens door to new cartel", "Who Runs Mexico's Jalisco Cartel and Los Cuinis? The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was founded in 2009 by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho"), who is among the most wanted drug traffickers on the planet after the 2014 arrest of Joaquin . 13 Mexican police officers were killed in an ambush, sold heroin to two undercover police officers, fired Russian-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers, Investigators uncovered a hidden hub of stash houses, state trooper working with a DEA task force nearly brought down El Mencho, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. At night,from 2015 through April2017, Maciasdirected the flow of $30 millionworth ofheroin, cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth and fentanylfromMexico to Kentucky's two largest cities:Lexington and Louisville. In Mexico, a DEA investigator said he was stunned when he learned CJNG cells were popping up in communities as small as Axton. [15] He dropped out of primary school in fifth grade to work in the fields. Somewhere deep in Mexico's remote wilderness, the worlds most dangerous and wanted drug lord is hiding. [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. "It's gonna be hard to catch him slippin'," said Mori, the DEA agent overseeing the U.S. criminal investigation against El Mencho. The sanction was joint investigation conducted by the Treasury and the DEA office in Los Angeles as part of a larger effort with their Mexican counterparts to sanction drug trafficking groups in Mexico. Though local politicians have been frequent targets, state governors and federal officials have not. No one was killed in the fire exchange. . [50] Authorities suspect El Mencho's inner circle is made up of mercenaries with former military training. While Luis Alderete maintains his innocence,court records show that his brother, Roberto Alderete, identified Luis asa cartel lieutenant. 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. [99][100] In 2022, Insight Crime reported that El Mencho had in fact not been seen for years amid concerns about his poor health. Instead, The Courier Journals investigation documented cells where CJNG members moved in, settling into a luxury condo near downtown Nashvilles honky-tonk district; an upscale Hollywood high-rise apartment near Sunset Boulevard; and sidewalk-lined suburbs in Cairo, Illinois; Johnson City, Tennessee; and Kansas City, Missouri. [90][91] Rosalinda was later released after being granted a bail of 1.5 million pesos ($78,000) in September 2018, but remains criminally charged and will still face trial. Theyre kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place right now with the murders going up, the drug trafficking going up, traffickers gaining more money to be able to corrupt more people and to have international influence and contacts, Donahue said. Chicago prosecutors allegein court filingsthat LuisAlderetewas ahigh-level cartel operativewhoshopped for a hitman on Facebook to take care of a gang member in Cairo, Illinois, to silence him. 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. This morning we were cowardly attacked by the CJNG, he wrote. The cartel boss - whose real name is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes - has become the region's pre-eminent villain in recent months and grabbed headlines in June after his assassins allegedly. ", "Top Mexican drug kingpin El Mencho reportedly builds own private hospital", "Betrayals, In-Fighting, Mysteriously Vanished Leader - Is Jalisco Cartel on the Brink? (24 November 2019). 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. [45] The announcement came after a series of violent attacks from the CJNG in previous weeks. 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. Two months after his arrest, his first child was born. After some time he left the police and joined organized crime as a full-time member of the Milenio Cartel. Villegas Ortiz had become famous in presiding over the case that enabled the extradition to the United States of Rubn Oseguera, known as El Menchito, a son of the head of the Jalisco cartel. In addition, the fall of Mexico's former top crime bosses cleared the way for El Mencho to gain visibility and status. One of the most sought after drug lords in the world, and. According to the Mexican government, Juan and Miguel are involved with the CJNG. Attackers in armored vehicles opened fire with high-caliber weapons, gunning down officers driving five SUVs. 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. "It was almost unbelievable, the things we were hearing, theamountof drugs," said Benjamin Taylor, who oversees investigations for Homeland Security in Gulfport, Mississippi. CJNG took credit on social media for the massacre. Victim Location 32526. Pablo Escobar was a Colombian born drug kingpin who had a peak net worth of $30 billion dollars during his lifetime. A powerful and aggressive Mexican cartel appears to have made a plea to its enemies following hundreds of deaths in the country. 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. More unchecked opportunities. The fierce ground war between the two groups in Guanajuato has transformed the state from one of Mexicos most peaceful into its deadliest. The attack forced the Valencia family to exile in Jalisco. 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. When authorities arrested him, they found twoassault rifles, one inscribed with "Menchito" little Mencho and anotherengraved with"CJNG 02 JR.". In mid-October, 13 Mexican police officers were killed in an ambush in El Mencho's home state of Michoacn in western Mexico. They seized more than $1 million in drug moneyhis couriers were hauling to Mexico. Then he vanished, How this couple ran a redneck meth empire in an Appalachian county ravaged by addiction, How a Mississippi trooper almost took down the worlds most powerful cartel boss, Mother searches photos of mutilated dead men, hoping to find her abducted son, Officer disabled after helicopter shot down by rising Jalisco New Generation Cartel. 8 Ronald - Jan 25, 2021.