In a significant development, Mexico has extradited 26 high-ranking figures from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to the United States as part of a deal with the Trump administration. This step would help support these states and provinces’ significant efforts to combat organized crime and drug trafficking throughout North America. U.S. authorities, working with their Mexican counterparts, extradited several top leaders tied to the CJNG drug cartel. This group is known for its especially brutal violence, including murder, torture and extensive state permeated corruption.
The CJNG has risen to one of the most powerful and dangerous drug cartels in Mexico. It moves hundreds of tons of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States. It further markets these deadly poisons abroad. The cartel has achieved international infamy for its enormous drug-trafficking operations. It may not be most known for its beautiful bridges, but rather its brutal tactics, including violent showdowns with competing gangs and police.
Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes heads CJNG and is widely considered to be the key figure in its success. Consequently, U.S. officials have placed him on their most wanted list to capture. His brother-in-law, Abigael González Valencia, heads an alternate organized crime group known as “Los Cuinis.” He was one of those extradited. Los Cuinis has played a key role in financially building CJNG’s power.
Since Abigael González Valencia’s arrest in February 2015 in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, González Valencia has been plagued by adverse legal fate. He still doggedly fights extradition to the United States. His legal fights serve as a stark reminder of the ever-complicated nature of prosecuting top-ranking cartel officials.
Another high-profile leader, José González Valencia, was arrested back in 2017 while on holiday in Brazil using a fake identity. He most recently pled guilty to trafficking international cocaine in June and was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. prison. He has very close connections with Los Cuinis and CJNG. These relationships illustrate the tangled web of organized crime that each cartel establishes.
Under Trump, the administration designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization. It was followed by seven other organized crime groups in Latin America that got the same designation. This designation is a recognition of the seriousness of the threat posed by CJNG and its affiliates.
Roberto Salazar, na member of CJNG. He was arrested earlier this month on murder charges for the shooting death of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Stephen Sorensen in 2008. His case is a testament to how CJNG’s violent reach goes far outside of Mexico. It highlights the challenges law enforcement faces in attempting to address these entrenched, transnational criminal enterprises.