The United States of America, through its Departments of
Justice, Treasury, and State announced
today a series of measures to target and dismantle the Cartel Jalisco Nueva
Generacion (CJNG) – one of the largest, most dangerous drug cartels currently
operating in Mexico. These measures include the unsealing of 15 indictments,
the State Department’s approval of large rewards, the Department of the
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designations, and the
establishment of a citizen tip-line.
CJNG is one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico and the
Department of Justice considers it to be one of the five most dangerous
transnational criminal organizations in the world, responsible for trafficking
many tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl-laced heroin into the United
States, as well as for violence and significant loss of life in Mexico.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions of the U.S. Department of
Justice, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s
Criminal Division, Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon of the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich,
Director Andrea Gacki of OFAC, Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics
and Law Enforcement Affairs Kirsten D. Madison of the U.S. Department of State,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations
(HSI) Executive Associate Director Derek Benner and Chief Don Fort of IRS
Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.
Background
Founded in 2011, CJNG has grown in size and strength rapidly
since its inception. Today, the DEA
estimates the CJNG exerts influence in 23 of 31 (75 percent) of Mexican states,
including key drug production and
transportation corridors. CJNG is a
powerful drug cartel in Mexico as a result of the organization’s disciplined
command and control, sophisticated money laundering techniques, efficient drug
transportation routes, and extreme violence.
The cartel has also expanded globally, with significant presence and
illicit business not only throughout the United States and Mexico, but also
Europe, Asia, and Australia.
“We will continue to hammer transnational criminal
organizations like the Cartel de San Jalisco Nueva Generacion, or CJNG,” said
Attorney General Sessions. “The DEA has
said for three years in a row that Mexican drug cartels are the single gravest
drug threat that this country faces.
President Trump recognizes this, and the day I was sworn in as Attorney
General, he ordered me to dismantle transnational criminal organizations,
including the cartels. We have been
faithful to that order. Today, I am
announcing 15 indictments returned against the leaders of CJNG. These
indictments are our next steps—but not our last. We will continue following President Trump’s
order.”
“DEA has a strong partnership with the Government of Mexico
that is demonstrated in the relentless pursuit of the violent leadership of the
CJNG cartel,” said Acting Administrator Dhillon. “We will continue to work
closely with our international partners to bring Nemiso Cervantes aka El Mencho
to justice and dismantle drug cartels like CJNG.”
Unsealing of Indictments
Today, the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s
Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern
District of California, the Northern District of Illinois, the Southern
District of Mississippi, and the Eastern District of Virginia are announcing 15
indictments, some recently unsealed, against the following CJNG leaders,
financiers, transporters, and sources of drug supply:
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka “Mencho”: Oseguera Cervantes, 52, is the lead defendant
in a three-count superseding indictment returned in the District of Columbia in
2017 alleging that he is the leader of a Continuing Criminal Enterprise,
conspired to distribute significant quantities of narcotics for illegal
importation into the United States, and has used a firearm during and in
relation to these drug trafficking crimes.
In addition to the indictment in the District of Columbia, Oseguera
Cervantes has also been charged with drug trafficking offenses in the Southern
District of Mississippi (SDMS). He is
currently a fugitive and was designated as a “Kingpin” under the Foreign
Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act by the Department of the Treasury in April 2015.
Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, aka, “Menchito”: Oseguera Gonzalez, 28, Oseguera Cervantes’
son, served as the CJNG’s second in command until the time of his arrest by
Mexican authorities in June 2015.
Oseguera Gonzalez is charged in a two-count indictment returned in the
District of Columbia in 2017 alleging that between 2007 and February 2017,
Oseguera Gonzalez engaged a conspiracy to distribute significant quantities of
narcotics for illegal importation into the United States and that Oseguera
Gonzalez engaged in the use of a firearm during and in relation to one or more
drug trafficking crimes. Oseguera
Gonzalez remains in Mexican custody and is currently pending extradition to the
United States.
Abigael Gonzalez Valencia: Gonzalez Valencia, 45, the head
of the “Cuinis” organization, is charged in a three-count indictment returned
in the District of Columbia in 2014 alleging that he was a leader in a
Continuing Criminal Enterprise, conspired to distribute significant quantities
of narcotics for illegal importation into the United States, and used a firearm
during and in relation to one or more drug trafficking crimes. The CJNG has flourished in significant part
because of its close affiliation with the Cuinis organization, which is the
primary financial support network of the CJNG drug trafficking efforts. The Cuinis organization is composed of
multiple members of the Gonzalez Valencia family. The relationship between the Cuinis
organization and the CJNG is cemented through both intertwined drug trafficking
and money laundering dealings as well as familial relationships, including the
marriage of one member of the Gonzalez Valencia family to CJNG leader Nemesio
Oseguera Cervantes. Gonzalez Valencia
was designated as a “Kingpin” under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation
Act by the Department of the Treasury in April 2015. Gonzalez Valencia was arrested by Mexican
authorities in February 2015 pursuant to his charges in the United States and
is awaiting extradition.
Jesus Contreras Arceo, aka “Canasto”: Contreras Arceo, 41, is charged in a
two-count indictment returned in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2017
alleging that between 2011 until March 2017, Contreras Arceo engaged in a
conspiracy to distribute significant quantities of narcotics for illegal
importation into the United States and that Contreras Arceo engaged in a
conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Contreras Arceo was arrested by Mexican authorities in July 2018
pursuant to his charges in the United States and is awaiting extradition.
Erick Valencia Salazar, aka “El 85”: Valencia Salazar, 41, is charged in a
one-count indictment returned in the District of Columbia in 2018 alleging that
between 2003 until August 2018, Valencia Salazar engaged in a conspiracy to
distribute significant quantities of narcotics for illegal importation into the
United States. Valencia Salazar is
currently a fugitive and is believed to be in Mexico.
Juan Perez-Vargas, aka, “Piolin”: Perez-Vargas, 37, is charged in a two-count
indictment returned in the Southern District of California in 2017 alleging
that Perez-Vargas engaged in a conspiracy to distribute significant quantities
of narcotics for illegal importation into the United States. Perez-Vargas was arrested by Mexican
authorities in September 2017 pursuant to his charges in the United States and
is awaiting extradition.
Diego Pineda Sanchez, aka “Botas” and Carlos
Parra-Pedroza: Pineda Sanchez, 33, and
Parra-Pedroza, 35, are charged with 28 others in a 63-count indictment returned
in the Northern District of Illinois in 2015, alleging that between 2011 and
September 2014, Pineda Sanchez and Parra-Pedroza led a Mexico-based conspiracy
to launder more than $100 million in narcotics proceeds belonging to
Mexico-based drug traffickers, through the purchase and resale of gold. The evidence in the case established that
Pineda Sanchez and Parra-Pedroza laundered most of these narcotics proceeds on
behalf of CJNG and its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes aka “Mencho.” Pineda Sanchez and Parra-Pedroza have pleaded
guilty to the money laundering conspiracy charges, and are facing a statutory
maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
On Oct. 5, Pineda Sanchez was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison by
the U.S. District Court in Chicago. The
Court will set a sentencing date for Parra-Pedroza at a status hearing on Nov.
1. All other charged and arrested
members of the conspiracy have pleaded guilty and have either been sentenced or
are awaiting sentencing.
The following individuals linked to the CJNG have also been
indicted as a result of the coordinated efforts against the cartel:
Oswaldo de Jesus
Miramontes-Diaz, 44, was charged in the Central District of California in 2015.
Miramontes-Diaz is currently serving a sentence pursuant to the charges in the
United States;
Gerardo Gonzalez
Valencia, aka, “Lalo,” 41, was charged in the District of Columbia in 2016. He
was arrested by Uruguayan authorities in April 2016 on these charges, and is
awaiting extradition;
Jose Gonzalez
Valencia, aka, “Chepa,” 42, was charged in the District of Columbia in 2016. He
was arrested by Brazilian authorities in December 2017 on these charges, and is
awaiting extradition;
Ulises Yovany
Mora-Tapia, aka, “Yiyo,” 33, was charged in the District of Columbia in 2016.
Mora-Tapia is currently a fugitive and is believed to be in Mexico;
Jorge Manuel
Cobian-Gonzalez, 43, was charged in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2017.
Cobian-Gonzalez is currently awaiting trial;
Juan Manuel
Abouzaid El Bayeh aka, “El Escorpion,” 45, was charged in the District of
Columbia in 2017. Abouzaid El Bayeh is currently a fugitive and is believed to
be in Mexico; and
Alfredo
Galindo-Salazar aka, “Tucan,” 47, was charged in the District of Columbia in
2018. Galindo-Salazar is currently a fugitive and is believed to be in Mexico.
Treasury OFAC Designations
Since April 2015, OFAC has announced nine designation
actions totaling 63 separate individuals and entities in Mexico tied to the
CJNG and the Cuinis organization. In the
initial 2015 designation action, both Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and Abigael
Gonzalez Valencia were designated by OFAC as Specially Designated Narcotics
Traffickers under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. These Kingpin Act designation actions
targeting the CJNG and the Cuinis organization are among the most aggressive
and targeted in OFAC’s history against Mexican drug trafficking
organizations. Based upon this series of
OFAC designations, Mexican authorities were able to seize the Hotelito
Desconocido, an exclusive boutique hotel on the Pacific coast of Mexico, which
was controlled by members of Los Cuinis organization. OFAC designations have allowed U.S. and
Mexican government officials to follow the money of the CJNG and the Cuinis organization
in an effort to disrupt their money laundering activities.
“Treasury has strategically targeted leaders of CJNG and the
Cuinis organizations, as well as complicit family members, criminal operatives,
and businesses under their control,” said OFAC Director Gacki. “Our goal is to disrupt the cartels’
finances, which are overwhelmingly generated from drug sales that occur in the
United States, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. OFAC is committed to working with the
Department of Justice and Mexican counterparts in order to apply economic
pressure on CJNG and the Cuinis organizations until they are effectively
dismantled.”
State Department Award and DEA Tip-Line
As part of continuing efforts to cripple the operations of
the CJNG, the U.S. Department of State has previously issued a number of
rewards through the Narcotics Rewards Program for information leading to the
arrest of critical CJNG operatives.
Previously, the Department of State issued rewards through the Narcotics
Rewards Program for up to the amount of $5 million for information leading to
the arrests of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, Abigael Gonzalez Valencia, and Jose
Gonzalez Valencia. Effective immediately,
the Department of State is announcing an increase to the Narcotics Rewards
Program reward for information leading to the arrest of the leader of the CJNG,
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes aka, “El Mencho.”
Now $10 million, the reward is one of the largest ever approved for the
Narcotics Rewards Program. Additionally,
the Department of State is announding a Narcotics Rewards Program reward for
information leading to the arrest of high ranking CJNG member Erick Valencia
Salazar, aka, “El 85,” in the amount of $5 million. Individuals with information about this
organization should contact law enforcement authorities by calling
1-213-237-9990, via email at MENCHOTIPS@usdoj.gov (link sends e-mail), or via
Twitter by contacting the handle, @DEALosAngeles.
“The $10 million reward for information leading to the
arrest of “El Mencho” is among the highest the Narcotics Rewards Program
currently offers,” said Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs Madison. “This
reflects the U.S. government’s strong commitment to bringing Oseguera Cervantes
to justice.”
Acknowledgments
These cases are the result of the ongoing efforts by the
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), and were significantly
aided by coordination and support from the multi-agency Special Operations
Division (SOD) near Washington, D.C.
OCDETF is a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and
unique abilities of federal, state, and local enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program
is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug
trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations and
enterprises.
These cases are being prosecuted by the Criminal Division’s
Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section in conjunction with DEA Los Angeles Field
Division, DEA Mexico City, DEA Guadalajara, DEA Chicago, FBI New York, FBI’s
Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
Chicago and HSI Riverside; the Southern District of California in conjunction
with DEA San Diego, DEA Guadalajara and HSI San Ysidro; the Northern District
of Illinois in conjunction with the IRS-CI Chicago; the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Chicago and HSI Chicago; the SDMS in
conjunction with DEA Gulfport and the Eastern District of Virginia in
conjunction with the DEA Bilateral Investigations Unit.
The United States would like to acknowledge the significant
contributions of the Government of Mexico in their bilateral efforts to target
and dismantle the CJNG. The daily coordination between the Government of Mexico
with the U.S. Department of Justice, Treasury and State to target this violent
drug cartel has a direct impact on the lives and livelihood of millions of citizens
in the United States and Mexico.
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