The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced new criminal charges against several senior leaders of Mexico’s Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), while the U.S. Department of State unveiled reward offers totaling more than $100 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of eight alleged cartel figures.
The coordinated enforcement action, announced alongside multiple federal law enforcement agencies, marks one of the most significant recent U.S. campaigns targeting the leadership of the transnational criminal organization.
Participating agencies included the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the National Coordination Center (NCC).
U.S. officials said the actions form part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative aimed at dismantling transnational criminal organizations designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the newly unsealed indictments, combined with expanded reward offers, demonstrate the administration’s commitment to pursuing CJNG’s leadership.
“The American people gave us a mandate to keep this country safe, and we will not rest until it is fulfilled,” Blanche said.
State Department Announces More Than $100 Million in Rewards
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced new or increased rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of eight alleged CJNG members.
The largest reward—up to $25 million—was announced for Juan Carlos Valencia González, also known as “Pelón.”
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Additional rewards include:
- Up to $15 million each for:
- Audias Flores Silva
- Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán
- Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez
- Up to $10 million each for:
- Julio César Montero Pinzón
- Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela
- Ricardo Ruiz Velasco
- Up to $2 million for:
- Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón
The Justice Department said the combined reward offers exceed $100 million.
Justice Department Expands Case Against Cartel Leadership
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said federal prosecutors remain focused on dismantling CJNG by targeting its senior leadership through criminal prosecutions.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole described CJNG as one of the world’s largest narcotics trafficking organizations and said the cartel continues to present a significant threat to the United States and its international partners.
Cole noted that Valencia González is among the DEA’s Most Wanted fugitives and said the coordinated effort demonstrates the full resources of the U.S. government are being directed toward locating and prosecuting cartel leaders.
Investigation Includes Drug Trafficking and Financial Crimes
Federal officials said the investigation extends beyond narcotics trafficking to include alleged money laundering and large-scale fraud schemes used to finance CJNG operations.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said investigators determined the cartel increasingly relied on sophisticated financial crimes alongside drug trafficking.
According to prosecutors, thousands of Americans have collectively lost hundreds of millions of dollars through alleged Mexico-based timeshare fraud operations connected to the organization.
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators continue targeting what authorities describe as CJNG’s criminal networks involving narcotics trafficking, financial fraud, money laundering and organized violence.
Leadership Transition After El Mencho’s Death
The Justice Department said CJNG remains one of the world’s largest producers and traffickers of cocaine and methamphetamine destined for the United States while also distributing fentanyl, heroin and other illicit drugs.
According to federal officials, the U.S. designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on Feb. 20, 2025.
The department said longtime cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was killed during a Mexican military operation in February 2026.
Court filings allege his stepson, Juan Carlos Valencia González, assumed leadership of the organization following his death.
Federal prosecutors allege Valencia González directed large-scale cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking operations while organizing violent crimes connected to the cartel’s activities.
Authorities also noted that Audias Flores Silva, another senior CJNG figure, was arrested in Mexico in April 2026 after previously being charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses.
Both men face up to two consecutive life prison sentences if convicted in U.S. federal court.
Five Additional Leaders Face New Federal Indictments
The Justice Department also announced newly unsealed indictments against five additional senior CJNG members.
According to prosecutors:
- Julio César Montero Pinzón and Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela allegedly created and commanded Grupo Elite, described as CJNG’s principal armed enforcement unit responsible for territorial control and violent operations.
- Prosecutors allege Grupo Elite operated training camps where recruits received instruction in heavy weapons, including rocket launchers, .50-caliber machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
- Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, described by prosecutors as El Mencho’s godson, allegedly supervised weapons procurement, cartel training camps and forced recruitment operations.
- Ricardo Ruiz Velasco allegedly oversaw regional trafficking networks, weapons procurement, bribery operations and the movement of methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin into the United States.
- Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez, identified by prosecutors as El Mencho’s former son-in-law, allegedly managed CJNG operations in Colima, coordinated purchases of methamphetamine precursor chemicals and supervised cocaine and methamphetamine shipments destined for the United States.
Federal prosecutors allege all five defendants participated in conspiracies to manufacture and distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl while using firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices, to support those operations.
Each faces up to two consecutive life prison terms if convicted.
Authorities Also Target Alleged Timeshare Fraud Network
Separate federal charges were also announced against an alleged international timeshare fraud operation that prosecutors say generated substantial proceeds for CJNG.
The Justice Department charged Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón in the Eastern District of New York with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Authorities allege she worked with Montero Pinzón and Rivera Varela in operating a cartel-controlled scheme targeting American owners of Mexican timeshare properties.
A superseding indictment also charges Montero Pinzón and Rivera Varela with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to provide material support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization and related offenses. Montero Pinzón additionally faces a conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge.
If convicted on the fraud-related charges, each defendant faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on each applicable count.
This report is based on reporting by the U.S. Department of Justice.
