(Video: Reuters). "He was very minutely involved. [15] He dropped out of primary school in fifth grade to work in the fields. The day the operation was inaugurated, intelligence reports stated that El Mencho was in Tonaya, which prompted an offensive to apprehend him. 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. 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. The group then changed its name to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Spanish: Crtel de Jalisco Nueva Generacin, or CJNG). [6], On 18 December 2017, seventeen year-old YouTube star Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales, known as "El Pirata de Culiacn" (English: The Pirate from Culiacn), was gunned down in a bar in Jalisco by a group of four men armed with rifles, shortly after Lagunas Rosales published videotaped insults towards El Mencho. [59] El Mencho and Abigael were accused of coordinating shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine from South America via Mexico to the United States. [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. Antonio lived in the U.S. and was released from a Mississippi prison in 2001 after completing his sentence for property damage charges. 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. [26] Internationally, the CJNG reportedly has ties with criminal groups in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. . . "It was almost unbelievable, the things we were hearing, theamountof drugs," said Benjamin Taylor, who oversees investigations for Homeland Security in Gulfport, Mississippi. Obviously, we shouldnt accept one group or the other, Corts Zavala said. Macias' associate, Imanol Pineda Penaloza, headed a cell in Louisville while running his drug business through his used tire shop, Los 3 Hermanos. In a Nov. 5 tweet, after nine people including six children with dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship were killed by cartels(though different ones than CJNG), President Donald Trump vowed to assist Mexican officials "in cleaning out these monsters. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete said at a. After his escape, the U.S. took its manhunt public. Moreover, the U.S. lacks the authority to make arrests in foreign countries, said Evans, a senior DEA official. In June 2015, the Mexican military arrested El Menchos son and second-in-command, Rubn Oseguera Gonzles. 2023www.courier-journal.com. One byproduct of the cartels recruitment campaign was that teenage drug dealers and petty thieves suddenly found themselves working as transnational criminals. El Mencho then asked the other Milenio bloc to hand over Gerardo Mendoza (alias "Tecato" and/or "Cochi") for killing a group of men that reported to him in Tecomn, Colima. [50][51] He usually travels across the mountains and rural terrains in these areas since it provides multiple escape routes in the event that security forces attempt to encircle him. Throughout 2019, reporters analyzed thousands of court records of more than 100 criminal drug cases around the country and talked to more than 150 federal drug agents, police officers, defense attorneys and prosecutors. 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 mid-October, 13 Mexican police officers were killed in an ambush in El Mencho's home state of Michoacn in western Mexico. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has killed judges, congressmen, dozens of police officers and thousands of civilians. rick Valencia Salazar, one of the clan members, wanted El Mencho to take command. He was released from prison on several occasions for lack of evidence, but was re-arrested each time by the police for additional charges. "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. I've implanted you a fee which you must pay. Decatur, IL (62521) Today. his anguished parents asked. The other division refused El Mencho's request, prompting an internal war. Garca Harfuchs armored Chevrolet Suburban had been struck by dozens of bullets. On April 13, 2017, federal agents arrested Maciason his way to Calumet Farm. His name was Pablo Oseguera. While some moves targeted the cartels finances, others were more personal. [50] Authorities suspect El Mencho's inner circle is made up of mercenaries with former military training. (24 November 2019). He got his first glimpse of CJNGs success when he was overseeing drug cases in Los Angeles, a key cartel hub. ", "The cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!". Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russias war in Ukraine. [88] He had served as the CJNG's lead financier. Under his command, the CJNG became one of Mexico's leading criminal organizations. "All intelligence indicates hes still there, moving regularly," said Craine, the retired DEA supervisor who led the successful hunt for El Chapo. The sanction extended to the CJNG, his brother-in-law Abigael Gonzlez Valencia, and Los Cuinis. "A very big, increasing problem. 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. In 2009, the DEA detected that El Mencho was involved in another cocaine shipment originating from Ecuador. Rubn Oseguera Cervantes aka El Mencho and his wife Rosalinda Gonzlez Valencia have managed to stay under the radar for a long time. Two months after his arrest, his first child was born. [14], Three weeks after the incident both men were arrested by the police. 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. He promised hugs, not bullets. Now Mexicos AMLO is facing an outcry over soaring violence. This article was published more than2 years ago. [17][18], One sect within the Milenio Cartel wanted to appoint as the leader of the group Elpidio Mojarro Ramrez (alias "El Pilo"), who worked closely with scar Orlando and Juan Carlos before their arrests. U.S. officials have documented the cartels strategy of using extreme violence to overwhelm local populations. ", "Marina detiene a operador del crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin", "Revelan qu tan grande es la fortuna de 'El Mencho', uno de los capos ms ricos segn la DEA", "Procuradura de Justicia de Jalisco turna a la PGR investigacin de bloqueos", "Los narcobloqueos en Jalisco, plan de distraccin para que huyera El Mencho", "Detencin de 'El Mencho' caus narcobloqueos; ofreca PGR 19 MDP por su captura", "Guadalajara Road Blockades Not Prompted by Cartel Leader Arrest: Police", "Confirman que 'El Mencho' escap gracias a narcobloqueos", "Policias, objetivo de cartel; en 20 dias matan a 21", "Jefe de clula del CJNG, una de las vctimas de enfrentamiento en Jalisco", "Bloody Attack on Police in Mexico Raises Jalisco Cartel's Profile", "Agresin contra Solorio Archiga fue por abatimiento de 'El Gringo', "Assailants block Mexican police convoy, kill 15 officers in ambush", "Mxico: matan a 15 policas en una emboscada en Jalisco", "Fifteen Mexican police officers killed in deadly ambush in Jalisco state", "Confirman asesinato de director de polica de Zacoalco de Torres", "Autoridades Federales implementan 'Operacin Jalisco', "El narco demuestra su podero: derriba un helicptero, 39 bloqueos, 7 muertos", "Suman nueve muertos por derribo de helicptero en Jalisco", "Tras cada de helicptero escap 'El Mencho', por quinta vez", "Seven killed and a military helicopter shot down amid wave of violence in Mexico", "La guarida de El Mencho, en los lmites de Jalisco y Michoacn", "La evolucin del Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin: de la extincin al dominio global", "En los 90 EU apres al 'Mencho' y al 'Cuini' pero los dej ir", "Mexico's Jalisco Cartel New Generation: From Extinction to World Domination", "Mexican Drug Cartels and DarkNetworks: An Emerging Threat to Australia's National Security", "Procuradura General de la Repblica: Acuerdo A/ 102 /11", "Recompensas: Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes", "Treasury Further Targets The Business Network of the Los Cuinis Drug Trafficking Organization", Embassy of the United States, Mexico City, "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V. ABIGAEL GONZALEZ VALENCIA AND NEMESIO OSEGUERA CERVANTES", "Teen YouTube star gunned down after hurling insults at cartel boss", "Mexican YouTube star, 17, found dead after insulting notorious cartel boss", "Ofrece PGR recompensa de 30 millones de pesos por informacin que conduzca a la detencin de Rubn Oseguera Cervantes", "Mexico: bounty raised over $1m on drug cartel kingpin 'El Mencho', "PGR sube a $30 millones recompensa por la cabeza de 'El Mencho', "U.S. Offers $10 Million for Information Leading to Mexican Drug Lord's Arrest", "Justice, Treasury, and State Departments Announce Coordinated Enforcement Efforts Against Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion", "Treasury Sanctions Two Major Mexican Drug Organizations and Two of Their Leaders", "Treasury Sanctions Five Businesses Supporting Cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion", "Niega juez amparo a la hija de 'El Mencho', "CJNG and Los Cuinis: Drug Trafficking Organizations", "Treasury Sanctions Individuals Supporting Powerful Mexico-Based Drug Cartels", "The New Criminal Group Hitting Mexico's CJNG Where It Hurts", "Erick Valencia Salazar "El 85": El otro fundador del Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin al que "El Mencho" traicion", "Mexican police arrested the wife of cartel chief 'El Mencho,' and it may mean they're closing in on the head of Mexico's most powerful cartel", "Body wrapped in plastic, left on park bench believed to be cartel boss", "Mexican cartel leader's body left wrapped in plastic on park bench", "Capturan al hermano del 'Mencho' en Jalisco", "Cae el hermano de 'El Mencho' en Jalisco", "Reaprehenden al yerno de 'El Mencho' en Jalisco", "A 'El Menchito' lo agarraron porque 'no le avisaron a tiempo', "Mexico Just Busted the Alleged Financial Brains of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel", "Operation Jalisco has failed after three years", "Wife of Jalisco New Generation Cartel boss arrested in Zapopan", "Wife of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader released from jail", "Federal forces capture two cartel chieftains in Jalisco", "Daughter of alleged Mexican drug kingpin "El Mencho" arrested in Washington D.C.", "Daughter of reputed Mexican drug lord sentenced in US", "The downfall of Rosalinda Gonzlez, leading figure of a powerful Mexican drug cartel", "Rosalinda Gonzlez: alleged CJNG chief comes from a family of narcos", "How will Mexico's president handle "El Mencho", a kingpin on the rise? He was released on July 1 for lack of evidence, but was re-arrested again on April 6 2016, for his involvement in the CJNG. El Mencho was 26 years old at that time, much younger than Abraham, but was savvy enough to recognize that the transaction was a set-up by the police. [78], Marn was accused in a California court, but the charges are not available to the public. 8 Rosalinda Gonzlez is suspected of running the finances of her husband's Jalisco New Generation Cartel. He was sentenced to 5 years and imprisoned at the Big Spring Correctional Center in Texas, which houses a large population of illegal immigrants. Adults and children are forced to work in CJNG's crude meth super labs vats on patches of dirt hidden in the jungle. It also forbids any U.S. bank to approve loans or credit card transactions for those CJNG-backed enterprises. 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. Initially, the CJNG produced methamphetamine, but then he moved to heroin production when the consumer demand changed. In the video, six armed men surround a masked man who claims to be cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho." "As a leader of Jalisco New Generation Cartel, I'm . It could hide 9 kilos of drugs and a pile of cash. The violence of 2015 was a wake-upcall,saidTerryCole, a former New York City police officer who oversees DEA agents in Guadalajaraas the assistant regional director forNorth and Central America. [80], Rosalinda Gonzlez Valencia is the wife of El Mencho. [69], On 27 October 2016, the OFAC sanctioned nine more individuals for providing material and financial assistance to El Mencho and Gonzlez Valencia and their respective groups, the CJNG and Los Cuinis. [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. [53] In 2000, the U.S. government discovered that El Mencho was involved in a cocaine and methamphetamine operation internationally. [49], According to the Mexican government, El Mencho may be hiding in the state of Jalisco, the CJNG's stronghold. Smaller police forces. Mexican marines almost captured El Mencho in October 2018. In December 2022, El Mencho's brother Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Tony Montana," was arrested during an army raid in Guadalajara. El Mencho was deported in 1997and then traveled to Tijuana. Those who refuse bribesare threatened or killed. 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. [27] This success was shared with Abigael Gonzlez Valencia, his brother-in-law, who headed a drug trafficking group known as Los Cuinis, allied to the CJNG. The DEA and Mexican investigators believe that it was during this time that he became involved in meth production and trade in Redwood City California (San Mateo County) alongside his brother-in-law Abigael Gonzlez Valencia (alias "El Cuini"). [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. "I promise, you will hear more about El Mencho.". On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This sanction was also result of another investigation done by the Treasury and the DEA office in Los Angeles. Eight soldiers and Morales partner died. [66] This increase was one of the largest approved in the history of the Narcotics Rewards Program. Guerrero served as El Mencho's regional head in the Cinega and northern Los Altos regions in Jalisco, along with southeastern Guanajuato. 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. MEXICO CITY Before they allegedly tried to assassinate this city's police chief, the foot soldiers of Mexico's most powerful drug cartel already had left a bloody wake across the country. He briefly worked as a police officer in Tomatln, a small town in Jalisco, learningthe inner workings of law enforcement,said DEA Special Agent Kyle Mori, who is heading the U.S. criminal investigationagainstEl Mencho fromLos Angeles. On 1 January 2023, a gang stormed a prison in Ciudad Jurez, Chihuahua, Mexico, resulting in the deaths of 19 people. [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. [76][77], El Mencho has five brothers: Juan, Miguel, Antonio, Marn and Abraham. Prosecutors say Parra Pedroza and Pineda Sanchezwould keepa percentage, with the rest going tocartel members in Mexico. "If he was, I didnt charge him enough.". One of the most sought after drug lords in the world, and. Leave a Comment. The attack forced the Valencia family to exile in Jalisco. 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 . After agents toppled the drug ring, the cartel turned on the gang. Two of his bodyguards were killed. 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. [14] He had five brothers: Juan, Miguel, Antonio, Marn, and Abraham. "The threat of Mexican cartel violence and the drugs they bring into our nation cant be overstated," said Russell Coleman, the top federal prosecutor for the Western District of Kentucky. The army said it captured Antonio . 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. [17] His rise to fame is due to a number of factors, including the aggressive and sensationalist displays of public violence by the CJNG. During his arrest, the army confiscated multiple weapons. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Spanish: Crtel de Jalisco Nueva Generacin) or CJNG, formerly known as Los Mata Zetas, is a Mexican criminal group based in Jalisco which is headed by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho"), one of the world's most-wanted drug lords. According to government sources, he is responsible for overseeing the CJNG's entire drug trafficking operations in the states of Jalisco, Colima, and Guanajuato, where he created a bastion for methamphetamine production and trade. This year, despite the novel coronavirus, the violence has continued near record highs. Alarmed by CJNG's surging violence in Mexico andcontinued expansion across this country, U.S. officials have pushed back. 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. As part of the sanction, all the U.S.-based assets and/or assets in control of U.S. individuals on behalf of El Mencho, Gonzlez Valencia, the CJNG, and Los Cuinis, were frozen in the United States. Unlike the drug cartels of Pablo Escobars Colombia, Mexican drug trafficking organizations have rarely targeted top officials, in part to avoid a clash with the state and in part because they have found bribery a more useful tool than assassination. A judge scheduled her. "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. He quickly amassed a privatearmy, with CJNG members recruitingor kidnappinghundreds of men in their 20s and boys as young as 12. 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. [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. Cartel members fired hundreds of rounds and hurled grenades and jugs of gasoline. Pineda Penaloza and his crew were convicted of drug trafficking and are now in federal prison. 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. [67], On 8 April 2015, the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned El Mencho under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act ("Kingpin Act") for his involvement in international drug-smuggling operations. 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. Since then, several Mexican officials, including the governor of the western state of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro Ramrez, and the head of the countrys human rights commission, Rosario Piedra Ibarra, have said that they received death threats from the cartel. Who is El Mencho, the most powerful drug kingpin in the world? In Jalisco, El Mencho and the Milenio Cartel formed an alliance with the Sinaloa Cartel subgroup headed by Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, a high-ranking drug lord and ally of Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn. [10][11] He is widely known by his alias "El Mencho", a nickname that derives from the phonetic derivation of Nemesio. 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. Ransom-seekers and other cartelsare responsible for many of those disappearances,with CJNG to blame for thousands,DEA agentssay. [53][56], On 27 September 2011, Mexico's Office of the General Prosecutor (PGR) issued an arrest warrant for El Mencho and offered MXN$2million for anyone who can help provide information that leads to his arrest. According to government sources, Acevedo Crdenas directed CJNG cells in Zacoalco, Tlajomulco, Cocula, Tapalpa and Atemajac de Brizuela, Jalisco. [9] Some sources state that his birth-given name was Rubn but that he changed it to Nemesio in memory of his godfather. For now, at least, it appears that Mexico has arrived at a moment of reckoning, as the countrys elite look more closely at the new, more brazenly violent face of the countrys criminal underworld. [87] El Mencho's brother-in-law Elvis Gonzlez Valencia was arrested in 2016 as well. [61] Police are investigating whether El Mencho gave the order to execute him, but no charges have been filed. [d][4][5] His first name is cited as "Rubn" and/or "Nemesio". [17][18], El Mencho relocated in the state capital, Guadalajara, with his father-in-law Jos Luis Gonzlez Valencia (alias "El Quini") and Romn Caballero Valencia. [88] He was later released in December 2016. The CJNG set 39 buses, 11 banks, and 16 gas stations on fire. Julio Alex Diaz. [30], Since the 2000s, the DEA office in Los Angeles, California, has been tracking El Mencho's activities. 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. [10][11] To conceal his identity in the U.S., he used different names and combinations, like "Rubn vila", "Jos Lpez Prieto", "Miguel Valadez", "Carlos Hernndez Mendoza", "Roberto Salgado", among others. Nemesio Rubn Oseguera Cervantes (American Spanish: [nemesio oseea seantes]; born 17 July 1966 or 17 July 1964), commonly referred to by his alias El Mencho ([el mento]), is a Mexican drug lord and leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an organized crime group based in Jalisco.He is the most-wanted person in Mexico and one of the most-wanted in the U.S. While officials can't say how much of the U.S. drug trade comes from CJNG, they predict the powerful organization is poised to supplant the more well-known and established Sinaloa Cartel as the world's most powerful drug trafficking organization. Are you on Telegram? [71] According to the report, the diversity of these businesses showed that the CJNG was successful at penetrating the economy. [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. [94] She pleaded guilty on March 12, 2021, and on June 11 was sentenced to 2.mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}12 years in prison. "I still expected that they would be in markets in the Southwest, a little bit into some of the other major corridors, such as Atlanta and Chicago, Evans said. She got her older sister, a struggling single mom, involved to make quick money. [73] CJNG co-founder Erick Valencia Salazar also split with El Mencho and became a high-ranking leader in the Nueva Plaza Cartel. Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes rules the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Make no mistake, Taylor said. Even if U.S. and Mexican investigators can track El Mencho's location, capturing him won't be easy.
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