Further details Roberto Alderete revealed about CJNG remain hidden in sealed documents. From there, Victor Farfan and his inner circle supplied drug trafficker John Armas in Hillsboro. In mid-October, 13 Mexican police officers were killed in an ambush in El Mencho's home state of Michoacn in western Mexico. He ran a drug network that trafficked kilos of meth with help from his then-wife, Socorro Elena Gutierrez, from their Washington County home. Even after El Mencho's girlfriend went to prison, the cartel quickly returned to the Gulf Coast with more loads of drugs. In2015, ElMenchoflexed that power to strike back at law enforcement who tried to stop him. The CJNG cartel and its backroads drug pipeline had caught the attention of federal authorities, who . El Mencho eventually joined the Milenio Cartel, gaining a reputation as a cunning sicario, or hitman, and then a boss of hitmen in Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital city. Eight soldiers and Morales partner died. Prosecutors successfully pushed for 15 years in their sentencing memo, pointing to Farfan's "unwillingness to stop drug trafficking and his unwillingness to remain outside of the United States." U.S. drug agents believe he's in western Mexico, hiding in remote jungles or mountains of Jalisco, Colima or Michocan. he asked his team. But DEA agents across the border are sharing intelligence and working with their Mexican counterparts to devise ways to dismantle CJNG and arrest its leaders. Eduardo mulled over his future. 1 nemesis, the Sinaloa Cartel, dominates the majority supply of everything from methamphetamine and heroin to the devastating synthetic opioid. All rights reserved. Watch a man being brutally beheaded by rival Cartel members in Mexico! 1 killer. LOG IN TO WATCH THIS VIDEO. 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. CJNG's rapid rise to power and its expansion havestunned and stymied Americas top drug fighters. At least three people including a pregnant woman in her early 20s languish in critical condition in Guanajuato,Mexico, after their hands were chopped off and their bleeding bodies were thrown from the back of a truck last week. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Roberto never talked to agents or prosecutors. "Big cities have big police departments and DEA, FBI and (Homeland Security Investigations) and an ability to look at intelligence and focus on their cells and contacts, said the DEA's Donahue. CJNGs increased distribution of fentanyl across the country has helped the synthetic opioid unseat heroin as the nations No. All rights reserved. Pineda Sanchez's attorney, Lawrence Beaumont, disputed his client's involvement. Paying semitruck drivers to haul hidden caches of drugs into the U.S. and return cash to Mexico. Investigative reporter Beth Warren spent threedays in Mexico City and Guadalajara with the U.S. DrugEnforcement Administration and Mexican police and government officials. 2020 has been an especially savage year in the border city of Tijuana,racking upalmost 2,000 murders almost on par with 2019 and once again earning the label of having the highest murder rate per capita of any city in Mexico. Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) gunmen lined up at least 17 victims and shot them during a funeral in western Mexico Sunday. Farfan pleaded guilty in November 2021 to trafficking drugs and illegally reentering the U.S. and was the last of 23 defendants in the case to admit guilt. 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. That designation allowed the department to levy sanctions against Mexican businesses linked to the cartels, includinga sushi restaurant, a tequila business, shopping centers, a medical clinic, two newspapers and famed Hotelito Desconocido, visited by Hollywood stars. Theyre also working to train Mexican police to improve the country's solve rate for kidnappings and murders, which is less than 5%. He said very little while chatting on cell phones, and he changed phones a lot. Moreover, the spread of crime by gangs 'affiliated' with the cartels increases the number of Mexicans who are victimized by crime indirectly related to cartels," he said. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is targeting and killing police officers at their homes in Guanajuato, Mexico's most violent state and the most dangerous for police. He handed the bag to Noe Antonio Machado-Medrano, then age 23. He was thought to be one of the leaders of Carteles Unidos. Reply Delete But he ended up working for his Uncle Victor. He knew that cartels have connections inside U.S. prisons. 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. FBI agents led a raid at the couple's home on Oct. 24, 2018, arresting the 51-year-old military veteran and his 53-year-old wife. . With a fast-swelling arsenal of advanced weapons from stolen cars converted into armored vehicles to drones and high-powered machine guns it's a force to be reckoned. Bizarre / Cartel / Murder / Pure Gore. CJNG even established a cell in south-central Virginia, buying or renting a cluster of modest homes in Axton an unincorporated community of roughly 6,500. Tipped off that a police caravan was on its way to grab El Mencho, CJNGhitmen hidalong the route in April 2015 and ambushed fourpolice vehicles. CJNG's Kentucky strategy has been repeated in town after town across America, in places better known for cheese, cows and corn. Many court documents in the Farfan case remain sealed, hiding secrets shared by drug ring members and associates, and some involved in the case opted not to talk because of the volatility of the Mexican suppliers. "They send their businessmen out into the U.S. to look for areas of opportunity." 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. With a $10 million reward on his head, hes on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrations Most Wanted list. DEA agents take a suspect into custody during an arrest of a suspected drug trafficker on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 in Diamond Bar, Calif. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Walker then secured search warrants to monitor social media accounts, where drug ring members chatted in code on Facebook Messenger. The unending stream of narcotics has contributed to this countrys unprecedented addiction crisis, devastating families and killing more than 300,000 people since 2013. Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) gunmen lined up at least 17 victims and shot them during a funeral in western Mexico Sunday. "I had a prosecutor who was sympathetic that this guy was just a bond-hit, video-game type of kid," Schindler said. WARNING: THE VIDEO IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE TO ALL AUDIENCES. A month later, Mexican authorities learned of ElMenchos new hiding spot andorganizeda secret mission to capture him. Farfan brought in at least 20 kilos of meth, half a kilo of heroin and nearly two kilos of fentanyl. In Mexico, a DEA investigator said he was stunned when he learned CJNG cells were popping up in communities as small as Axton. CJNG took credit on social media for the massacre. Pineda Penaloza and his crew were convicted of drug trafficking and are now in federal prison. But wrestling for land jurisdiction is only a piece of the CJNG puzzle. Robert Hammer, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Seattle, told The Courier Journal that cartels take advantage of the Interstate 5 corridor, a straight route that runs from the San Ysidro border crossing north through Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and into Vancouver, Canada. Investigators believe Bustos fled to Mexico. After agents toppled the Oregon drug network in 2018 and arrested 23 suspects, there were murders in Mexico that U.S. investigators suspect were meant to scare and silence potential witnesses in the Portland case. Adults and children are forced to work in CJNG's crude meth super labs vats on patches of dirt hidden in the jungle. The gruesome crimes took place in Mexico's state of Colima. For an overview of the Pjaros Sierra versus Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin (CJNG) conflict, please see this previous Borderland Beat story. The cartel has run brothels in Mexico, often using teens and women forced into CJNG's web. He quickly amassed a privatearmy, with CJNG members recruitingor kidnappinghundreds of men in their 20s and boys as young as 12. A judge sentenced Roberto to three years in custody in January 2021. All rights reserved. Police arrested Farfan in October 2018 as he and Montes drove toward California on Highway 99 near Roseburg, nearly three hours south of Portland, while towing a car. Armas also asked them to repackage large amounts of drugs and sell out of their home to users as well as mid-level dealers. On 2/10 Narcocorrido band Grupo Arriesgado was forced to cancel a concert in Tijuana after a report of shots were fired during an event vice.com. Farfan agreed to forfeit $100,000, and the judge ordered him to remain on supervised release for five years after he serves his time in prison. I hate violence," according to a transcript of the hearing, with Farfan appearing before the judge from prison on Zoom. including the drug-related killings of two Mexican brothers in 2014, one of whom was found . Both serve as popular entry ports for the precursor chemicals in synthetic drugs, mostly brought in fromChina. Cannibalism in Mexico! The . Four men alleged to be leaders in a Mexican cartel enforcement cell have been indicted in San Diego on drug-trafficking charges and are accused of orchestrating a wave of . He isn't your typical cartel leader. In July, Coco was sentenced to time served and released. His cousin, Roberto Carlos Farfan Alvarez, known as "Raton" or "Mouse," pleaded guilty but never talked to police. According to the military, the vehicles were used by the CDG (Gulf Cartel) to transport drugs and hitmen. CJNG torture video - The man was poured alcohol on his head and set on fire The man was poured alcohol on his head and set on fire The gunmen used isopropyl alcohol to set fire to the man's face and mocked his nickname. Four years later, he was caught selling drugs out of a southeast Portland auto repair shop. Soldiers stand guard in front of a modified and armored truck as it is displayed to the media at a military base in Reynosa, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas June 5, 2011. It has drug cells all across the U.S., even in tiny towns. The cartels, including CJNG, are feeling empowered because of the rampantviolence in Mexico, said Paul Craine, a retired DEA supervisor who oversaw the U.S. hunt for El Chapo. (REUTERS/Stringer). Explore the investigation wall showing the connections of El Mencho and CJNG cartel. "Either you or your family could be killed. But Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador declined Trump's offer for U.S. troops, saying his country doesn't need help. Entire familieswho resisthave been slaughtered, Donahue said. And for those who make the gut-wrenching decision to stay, life has been reduced to the desperate, defensive gambit ofdigging trenchesacross highways in western Michoacn. Cartel members issued a stark warning in Mexico that reverberated through the drug network in Oregon. MEXICO PASSES BILL THAT COULD SET BACK US PARTNERSHIP IN DRUG WAR BY DECADES. %privacy_policy%. U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon said he was troubled by Farfan's repeated drug crimes dating back at least to 1999. ", The mother of his two youngest children wrote a letter saying: "He is one of the greatest fathers that there is. Reporter Beth Warren: bwarren@courier-journal.com; 502-582-7164; Twitter @BethWarrenCJ. The cartel circulates these images of torture and execution on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to spread fear and intimidation. Known as CJNG, the cartel is a global powerhouse, detected on every continent except Antarctica. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Selling drugs in bulk to local traffickers, who then sold to area dealers. Despite the capture of certain top leaders, it is now Mexico's foremost criminal threat . Mexico's cartel crackdown struggling despite victory? 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. Victor Alvarez Farfan began sneaking into the U.S. and targeting the Portland area more than two decades ago when he was in his early 20s. There, he built a thriving drug trafficking business, but the city's dominantcartel ordered him to leave when leaders became threatened by his success. Jason Hoover, who oversaw Walker and teamed to raid area drug houses in the case. That load was headed from Portland to Baltimore. And he realized he faced a mandatory minimum of 10 years if convicted at trial and would miss watching his 6-month-old son grow up. GRAPHIC VIDEO: CJNG cartel members behead two men from rival cartel July 12, 2022 UNCENSORED VIDEO BELOW / New horrifying video shows three CJNG cartel members beheading two men from a rival cartel in Mexico. "That puts a target on my back," he told his attorney. Since the arrest and extradition to the U.S. of Sinaloa frontman Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn in 2016, analysts say that the CJNG has steadily encroached on new terrain including Tijuana bringing with it a recipe for bloodletting and groups waginga war of dominance. Attackers in armored vehicles opened fire with high-caliber weapons, gunning down officers driving five SUVs. Police grabbed him, finding two kilos of fentanyl stuffed in a backpack. During his March sentence hearing, Farfan apologized for his crimes, but insisted, "I've never been a violent person. It was run by a deported felon who kept sneaking back across the border. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is targeting and killing police officers at their homes in Guanajuato, Mexico's most violent state and the most dangerous for police. More:US drug czar wants India to stem flow of chemicals used by Mexican cartels for fentanyl. One of the working law enforcement theories suggests the gunmen were targeting a former ally attending his mothers funeral. In addition, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a $10 million bounty on El Mencho's head, given that his rule and his rapid rise to power also bears a devastating impact across the U.S. "While the distribution in U.S. markets is principally through affiliated gangs and proxy groups, the CJNG is thusindirectly responsible for the production of illicit drugs that kill thousands of Americans," Ellis said. Law enforcement agencies say that Mexican cartels have been targeting tourist destinations along the Oregon coast in an attempt to conceal their operations. 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. "If you provide information to the Mexican government, its probably the last thing you would say.". CJNG, which routinely faces off with its No. The Michoacan Attorney Generals Office revealed that the bodies were removed and the scene was largely cleaned by the perpetrators. On April 6, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Carlos . In Seaside, known for commercial fishing and timber, traffickers easily established a strong customer base. His attorney lobbied for 13 years, claiming his client likely couldn't survive a longer prison stint. This case is another example of how CJNG is increasingly vying for turf in Michoacn, the birthplace of its leader, Rubn Oseguera Cervantes. ", "The cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!". Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @holliesmckay. Observers and anti-trafficking personnel who closely monitor the CJNG, which emerged around 2009 after splintering from the Sinaloa cartel, broadly conclude that much of its bloody approach can be attributed to its ruthless leader, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera. Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador declined Trump 's offer for U.S. troops, his... Both serve as popular entry ports for the massacre the bodies were removed and the scene was cleaned! Type of kid, '' Schindler said attention of federal authorities, who ) to transport drugs hitmen. Tried to stop him attorney, Lawrence Beaumont, disputed his client likely could n't survive a longer prison.... And the scene was largely cleaned by the CDG ( Gulf cartel ) to transport and! Drug WAR by DECADES opened fire with high-caliber weapons, gunning down officers driving five SUVs powerful! Of certain top leaders, it is now Mexico & # x27 ; s foremost criminal threat heroin to devastating. 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