(24 November 2019). [31] 6 CJNG gunmen were killed in the firefight. The total death toll was 11; five police officers, three civilians, and three CJNG gunmen. They stormed a hideout west of Guadalajara, but the cartel leader climbed into a vehicle and was rushed to safety. 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.". "I know Im not that person," he said, refusing to elaborate. [96] At the time of this arrest, El Mencho's wife was found to be financial chief of the CJNG.[97]. In the 1990s, Abraham was given a 10-year prison sentence in California. No one was killed in the fire exchange. [49], According to the Mexican government, El Mencho may be hiding in the state of Jalisco, the CJNG's stronghold. CJNG's rapid rise to power and its expansion havestunned and stymied Americas top drug fighters. Someone aware of the Lexington-Louisville operation talked to a DEA agent in 2016, who, in turn, flagged investigators in Kentucky. Closethe air vents. [86] He reportedly works as one of his top security chiefs. Obviously, we shouldnt accept one group or the other, Corts Zavala said. 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. Smaller police forces. It also operated a tequila label,casinos,two shopping centers,a medical clinic,real estate companies and a Pacific Ocean resort frequented by Americans, according to U.S. Treasury Department records. When presenting the reportJalisco New Generation Cartel, mafia without borders" which has 10 chapters, Rodrguez Morales assured that the organization led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho"manages the export of Colombian cocaine after the dismantling of the large drug cartels in that South American country. [14], After three years he was released from prison on parole and deported to Mexico at the age of 30. Courier Journal reporters pieced together CJNGs network, from the suburbs of Seattle, the beaches of Mississippi and South Carolina, Californias coastline, the mountains of Virginia, small farming towns in Iowa and Nebraska, and across the Bluegrass State, including in Louisville, Lexington and Paducah. Today, the Justice Department and DEA announced a superseding indictment on charges of alleged continuing criminal enterprise against Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," the undisputed leader of CJNG. 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. After his escape, the U.S. took its manhunt public. [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 detected that the CJNG had expanded its drug-trafficking operations internationally. Warren traveled to six cities in the U.S. and reviewed thousands of documents in more than 100 court cases and sought prison interviews with more than two dozen cartel members and associates. There, amid the lush pastures and white rail fences, a Mexican immigrant with asinister secret quietly groomed prized thoroughbreds at historic Calumet Farm, according to court records. The Jalisco cartel's violence has taken a horrific toll on the state and experts say it poses a threat to Mexico's government Skip to main content Skip to navigation Subscribe According to prosecutors, Alderete is a lieutenant of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," the shadowy and brutal cartel leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel who's a . El Mencho is allegedly responsible for coordinating global drug trafficking operations. The Courier Journal's investigation into CJNG's surge comes during a recent wave of significantviolence among warring drug cartels in Mexico. I don't really care what the prosecutor says.. He decided to plead guilty and protect his brother from life imprisonment. Julio Alex Diaz. CJNG's Kentucky strategy has been repeated in town after town across America, in places better known for cheese, cows and corn. The violent CJNG is widely viewed as the most powerful gang in Mexico alongside the Sinaloa Cartel. We are seeing the threat to institutions, a reality already visible in some states and now reflected in Mexico City, Alfaro told reporters. Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, known as El Menchito, is believed to be the second-in-command . To build their lucrativedrug networks in the U.S., CJNG bosses mandated discretion to dodge police attention. [88] He had served as the CJNG's lead financier. Adam died midsentence while writing a thank-you note to a friend on the eve of entering a rehab facility. 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. More than 60 were targeted, including a biotech consulting company, a bakery and hillside vacation cabins. One byproduct of the cartels recruitment campaign was that teenage drug dealers and petty thieves suddenly found themselves working as transnational criminals. 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 . "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. [29] Part of El Mencho's success in the drug trade had to do with his ability to strategize market and consumer changes. The U.S government has crippled dozens ofbusinessesthat supported CJNGandsentElMenchosson and chief financial backer to prison, along with members of his inner circle. 20 Dec 2022 0. [45] The announcement came after a series of violent attacks from the CJNG in previous weeks. 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. "It was almost unbelievable, the things we were hearing, theamountof drugs," said Benjamin Taylor, who oversees investigations for Homeland Security in Gulfport, Mississippi. . The Jalisco cartel has also shown itself to have nearly unlimited reach within Mexico. CJNG members have followed relatives or friends who left Mexico for the U.S. to find jobs. CJNG also has enlisted white-collar expertise. Pineda Penaloza and his crew were convicted of drug trafficking and are now in federal prison. Even if U.S. and Mexican investigators can track El Mencho's location, capturing him won't be easy. Decatur, IL (62521) Today. The cartel has been characterized by its aggressive use of extreme violence and its public relations campaigns. 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. RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A new text scam left a Raleigh man terrified after he received texts that claimed to be from the cartel threatening his family with personal information and extremely. [10][16], In 1986, he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. El Menchos drug empire "is putting poison on the streets of the U.S.," said Chris Evans, who runs the DEAs day-to-day global operations. Somewhere deep in Mexico's remote wilderness, the worlds most dangerous and wanted drug lord is hiding. [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 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 . [87] El Mencho's brother-in-law Elvis Gonzlez Valencia was arrested in 2016 as well. In June 2015, the Mexican military arrested El Menchos son and second-in-command, Rubn Oseguera Gonzles. 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. [62], On 15 August 2018, the PGR announced they were offering up to MXN$30 million to anyone who provides information that leads to El Mencho's capture. Adults and children are forced to work in CJNG's crude meth super labs vats on patches of dirt hidden in the jungle. 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. And though few Americans know his name, authorities promise they soon will. In 2020, it was reported that El Mencho suffers from kidney disease and had built a hospital in the village of El Alchuatl to help treat it. CJNG remains the domineering force in its namesake state of Jalisco - where the former governor was gunned down on Friday, in what many believe to have been the work of the cartel - and its . It is now the primary drug trafficking organization in 24 of Mexicos 32 states, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. "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. [14] A few years later, he decided he wanted a better life for himself and immigrated illegally to the U.S. state of California in the 1980s. [13], El Mencho grew up in a poor family that cultivated avocados. It is known for its aggressive use of violence and its public relations campaigns. In2015, ElMenchoflexed that power to strike back at law enforcement who tried to stop him. Beth Warren. "It's gonna be hard to catch him slippin'," said Mori, the DEA agent overseeing the U.S. criminal investigation against El Mencho. One of the most sought after drug lords in the world, and. [25], In 2019 Kyle Mori, the head of the DEA team tasked with locating El Mencho, stated in an interview with Univision that he believed El Mencho had a net worth of at least $500 million and he could also be worth over $1 billion. Members of a cartel cell inKansasCity, withdrug houses in both Kansas and Missouri between 2013 and 2016,splurged on $10,000ticketsto rapper Pitbulls concertand a Louis Vuittonpurse. His defense understood that if he decided on a jury trial, they would likely win the case. [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. Type of a scam Debt Collections. 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. CJNG's plan tomove intosmall-town America and cashin on the country's addiction crisis played out in Lexington, Kentucky. The DEA last year carried out a roundup of Jalisco cartel operatives and traffickers in the United States, making more than 600 arrests. 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. Alderete was indicted in September 2019 in Chicago on charges of trafficking more than a kilo of heroin and at least 400 grams of fentanyl from May to June of this year. All their U.S.-based assets were frozen, and once again U.S. citizens were prohibited from doing business with them. A VICIOUS drug war between El Chapo's sons and the Jalisco New Generation cartel has seen nearly 250 people slaughtered in a month in Mexico. [20] Two months later, Coronel was killed in a shootout with the Mexican Army. 14. . his anguished parents asked. Mexico Citys top security official injured in apparent assassination attempt. [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. But someCJNGbossesdidnt follow those rules. But from the hospital, Garca Harfuch posted a tweet. Smaller towns. ", "Top Mexican drug kingpin El Mencho reportedly builds own private hospital", "Betrayals, In-Fighting, Mysteriously Vanished Leader - Is Jalisco Cartel on the Brink? The Courier Journal could not say with certainty who supplied the drugs that killed Adam Cooley. But in stark contrast to the flamboyant Pablo Escobar and El Chapo who carefully cultivated Robin Hood personas to offset their violent reputations, very little is known of El Mencho. "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. Caller name: PABLO OSEGUERA. How a Mexican cartel turned a rural area into a hidden cocaine hub, One mistake trapped a desperate dad in a Mexican drug cartel's web. Rosalinda Gonzlez is suspected of running the finances of her husband's Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Rubn Oseguera Cervantes aka El Mencho and his wife Rosalinda Gonzlez Valencia have managed to stay under the radar for a long time. The unparalleled speed of CJNGs growth coasttocoast in less than a decade has made the cartel a clear, present and growing danger, says Uttam Dhillon, DEA's acting administrator. Its extreme savagery in Mexico includes beheadings, public hangings, acid baths, even cannibalism. [10][14] According to court records, El Mencho and his brother Abraham were at a San Francisco bar known as Imperial to carry out a heroin deal: five ounces for US$9,500. Pullup the seat. Initial reports stated that El Mencho was captured in the operation, but the Mexican government later confirmed that he was not in custody. U.S. officials have mapped the rapid expansion of the cartel, known as CJNG for its initials in Spanish. Abraham was in charge of the transaction, while El Mencho acted as a lookout. 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 Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacin - CJNG) is a criminal group that has evolved as a result of killings, captures and rifts in older cartels. How Mexicos cartel wars shattered American Mormons wary peace, More than 60,000 Mexicans have disappeared amid drug war, officials say. [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. The DEA's Donahue said many were taken toremote paramilitary camps where they were trained asassassins. He got his first glimpse of CJNGs success when he was overseeing drug cases in Los Angeles, a key cartel hub. "We have a problem of corruption. But Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador declined Trump's offer for U.S. troops, saying his country doesn't need help. Write by: It was an arrangement that allowed for rapid growth; rather than building a trafficking infrastructure, it co-opted and reshaped an existing one. Reporters Jonathan Bullington, Kala Kachmar, Chris Kenning andKarol Suarez contributed to this story. 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. His notoriety is also a result of his aggressive leadership and sensationalist acts of violence against both rival criminal groups and Mexican security forces alike. CJNG took credit on social media for the massacre. Passed over for promotion, ElMenchoteamed withhis in-laws who ran an affiliatedcartel and forged his own criminal organizationin early 2011 CJNG. [92], In April 2019, El Mencho's godson Adrin Alonso Guerrero Covarrubias was arrested on charges of drug trafficking and kidnapping. Link copied Feb. 21, 2020, 6:03 PM UTC [4][8] He has alternative aliases like "Nemecio", "Rubn Acerguera Cervantes", "Lorenzo Mendoza", and "Nemesio Oseguera Ramos". He shares intel with the DEA,but not his own people. The attack spread through 20 different towns and in three neighboring states. [57] He was accused of organized crime involvement and illegal possession of firearms. "If he was, I didnt charge him enough.". The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has become Mexico's most powerful criminal organization, dominating the trade in fentanyl and methamphetamines and protecting its business by attacking Mexican . La Resistencia accused Los Mata Zetas of turning in scar Orlando to the authorities. But he kept getting caught. Those who refuse bribesare threatened or killed. It also forbids any U.S. bank to approve loans or credit card transactions for those CJNG-backed enterprises. 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. She recruited helpers, too, and they frequently made deposits of less than $10,000 amounts small enough to dodge federal reporting requirements at bank branches in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee,as well asGreensboro and Winston-Salem,North Carolina. 2023www.courier-journal.com. August 4, 2022 CJNG sicarios posed with their faces uncovered in a series of 2021 photos. [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. 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. Five were arrested, and one alleged gang member died in. 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. Though local politicians have been frequent targets, state governors and federal officials have not. The move comes at a time when that criminal organization continues to be responsible for a large part of the violence in Mexico. Mexico's President Andrs Manuel Lpez . It has to do, without a doubt, with the work that is being carried out to guarantee peace and tranquility both in Mexico City and in the country, Lpez Obrador said. 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. Officials in Attorney General William Barr's office declined to comment on The Courier Journal's findings. In addition, the act prohibited U.S. citizens from engaging in business activities with them. The region of Baja California saw 2,938. Becoming partly cloudy after some evening wind and rain. 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. Using others to deposit drug profitsin cartel-controlled bankaccounts. [66] This increase was one of the largest approved in the history of the Narcotics Rewards Program. On 12 August 2003 his boss was arrested by Mexican authorities. Both are now in prison for money laundering, and her sister, who has two children living in Kentucky, faces deportation. "If an agent saw him, we couldnt say, 'Hey, were gonna grab El Mencho right now, take him and put him into custody.' [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. And, in a 2019 case pending in federal court,an accused cartel lieutenantconnected to Chicago drug trafficking settled into a $2 million Nashville condo. Moreover, the U.S. lacks the authority to make arrests in foreign countries, said Evans, a senior DEA official. 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"). 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. (Video: Reuters). For example, a Lexington waitress seekingcash to pay fordental assistant courses ended up making bank deposits that she didnt know were for CJNG, according to court transcripts. Corts Zavala, who is the citys top security official, spoke a week after gunmen targeted a drug rehabilitation facility in his city, killing 28 people. Other bosses used threats of violence in the U.S., despite El Mencho's warnings against it. CJNG is "among us. 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. 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. [d][4][5] His first name is cited as "Rubn" and/or "Nemesio". 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. Explore the investigation wall showing the connections of El Mencho and CJNG cartel. Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the DEA's field office in . On April 13, 2017, federal agents arrested Maciason his way to Calumet Farm. If someone you love dies from an overdose tonight, he may very well be to blame. Victim Location 32526. Further details Roberto Alderete revealed about CJNG remain hidden in sealed documents. [9] Some sources state that his birth-given name was Rubn but that he changed it to Nemesio in memory of his godfather.
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