The victims' wrists were tied using ligatures to prevent them all from bleeding to death. U.S. drug agents believe he's in western Mexico, hiding in remote jungles or mountains of Jalisco, Colima or Michocan. The information leaks make catching El Mencho extremely difficult, he said. Who is La Vaca? Other bosses used threats of violence in the U.S., despite El Mencho's warnings against it. They stormed a hideout west of Guadalajara, but the cartel leader climbed into a vehicle and was rushed to safety. Because it's here, A short film: What Courier Journal uncovered about Jalisco New Generation Cartel's El Mencho. Think of this violence extending into every facet of their global operations. The case took place in Marcos Castellanos, Michoacan, where gunmen stormed a funeral service and forced mourners to line up against a wall before opening fire. Man filmed eating dead body parts of rival Cartel member. "He spoke with Mexican-based members of the conspiracy, met interstate couriers and directed subordinates," prosecutors noted in a government motion to keep Farfan locked up pending trial. 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. CJNGmembers or associates would sell drugs to traffickers inWisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, California, Texas, Kentucky, Illinois and North Carolina. 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. 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. 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 . At night,from 2015 through April2017, Maciasdirected the flow of $30 millionworth ofheroin, cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth and fentanylfromMexico to Kentucky's two largest cities:Lexington and Louisville. "I still expected that they would be in markets in the Southwest, a little bit into some of the other major corridors, such as Atlanta and Chicago, Evans said. Known as CJNG, the cartel is a global powerhouse, detected on every continent except Antarctica. One of the working law enforcement theories suggests the gunmen were targeting a former ally attending his mothers funeral. Additional Video Update: There is an additional video of a fight against state police that took place in the town of Tizapn El Alto. On Oct. 16, 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, standing next to a large "Wanted" poster of El Mencho, announced a $10 million reward for his capture and unveiled detailed indictments against him and CJNG. That load was headed from Portland to Baltimore. They also contacted more than two dozen accused cartel members or CJNG associates in prison and traveled to Mexico City, Guadalajara and 15 U.S. cities to see firsthand the far-reaching repercussions of El Menchos cartel. Their current. CJNG wasn't the only cartel in the Bluegrass State in 2017, but authorities say it was the main supplier of fentanyl when Louisville's Adam Cooley, who sought heroin, snorted 20 times alethal dose. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @holliesmckay. Last year, a judge sentenced Eduardo to 30 months behind bars, followed by five years supervised release. When authorities arrested him, they found twoassault rifles, one inscribed with "Menchito" little Mencho and anotherengraved with"CJNG 02 JR.". Known as "El Mencho," he's remained in hiding for years and is on the DEA's Most Wanted list. Mexican cartel murders bride at altar during her own wedding, kidnaps groom, Canada's defence minister pledges 200 armoured personnel carriers for Ukraine during . Passed over for promotion, ElMenchoteamed withhis in-laws who ran an affiliatedcartel and forged his own criminal organizationin early 2011 CJNG. WARNING: THE VIDEO IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE TO ALL AUDIENCES. 1 / 6. Maciasand Sosa were convicted of meth trafficking and money laundering and are serving 31 and 15 years, respectively, in federal prison. Even if U.S. and Mexican investigators can track El Mencho's location, capturing him won't be easy. Eight soldiers and Morales partner died. CJNGs rapid rise heralds the latest chapter in a generations-old drug war in which Mexican cartels are battling to supply Americans insatiable demand for narcotics. "One of the techniques cartels use here in the United States is to take young people and make them responsible for significant amounts of drugs in order to shield themselves," Schindler said. 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. It also identified at least two dozen "cells," which the DEA defines as places where cartel members set up shop to do business and live in the communities. ", "He said: 'I'll do the time. Farfan also had to hand over $100,000. Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Sam Upshaw Jr., Louisville Courier Journal. The gruesome crimes took place in Mexico's state of Colima. The judge also noted that while there was no evidence Farfan was physically violent, "the drugs that he played a role in distributing, including as a leader, caused so much harm in our community.". 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. DEA agents take a suspect into custody during an arrest of a suspected drug trafficker on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 in Diamond Bar, Calif. When he gets out, he again faces deportation. The couple's daughter, age 11, also was home. 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. He initially came to the U.S. to earn money as a mechanic for another relative. It is known for its aggressive use of violence and its public relations campaigns. "If its coming from a cartel, they could have sold a pound to Asians, black guys, outlaw motorcycle gangs, white trash," said Lt. Jeremy Williams, of the Ashe County Sheriff's Office inNorth Carolina. Twomasterminds now in prisonorchestrated the scheme from Guadalajara:Carlos Parra Pedroza,aliasWalt Disney, who owned a jewelry store; and Diego Pineda Sanchez, an accountant. Drug trafficking is popping up in unlikely tourist areas along the Oregon coast: Photos. Cartel members fired hundreds of rounds and hurled grenades and jugs of gasoline. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is Mexico's most violent crime gang. John Walker in uniform (left), and Walker in his undercover look (right). 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. Mexico's cartel crackdown struggling despite victory? Narcocorrido band Grupo Arriesgado forced out of Tijuana for singing about CJNG. Still, The Courier Journal traveled to Portland, its suburbs, the Oregon coast and Seattle to review court records and interview federal agents, defense attorneys and prosecutors to learn about the Farfan drug ring, its cartel ties and how it finally imploded. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "The violence in Mexico and elsewhere is something that doesn't stop at the border. She must report to a federal probation officer for five years. In a Nov. 5 tweet, after nine people including six children with dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship were killed by cartels(though different ones than CJNG), President Donald Trump vowed to assist Mexican officials "in cleaning out these monsters. Legal Statement. 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. 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. He got his first glimpse of CJNGs success when he was overseeing drug cases in Los Angeles, a key cartel hub. Investigators listened in on several calls between Armas and his neighbors using code to coordinate drug deals. He co-founded Breitbart Texas Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darbyand senior Breitbart management. Prosecutors say Parra Pedroza and Pineda Sanchezwould keepa percentage, with the rest going tocartel members in Mexico. The CJNG is one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico and has been behind some of the deadliest attacks on Mexican security forces, such as a 2015 ambush in Jalisco which left 15 officers dead. American authorities are still seeking his extradition to the U.S. to face drug charges. In disturbing footage, thugs smash a man's face into a truck before kicking and punching him on the floor. To an extent, it worked, illustrating how cartels manipulate on both sides of the border through threats and violence. One of them interrogates the semi-nude Mendoza, who admits he sold drugs in Valle de Santiago, where gunmen assaulted a police station on Friday, killing five prisoners and freeing another. Flames leftMoralesdisabled and disfigured. "It's gonna be hard to catch him slippin'," said Mori, the DEA agent overseeing the U.S. criminal investigation against El Mencho. All rights reserved. Adults and children are forced to work in CJNG's crude meth super labs vats on patches of dirt hidden in the jungle. He was thought to be one of the leaders of Carteles Unidos. 2023www.courier-journal.com. Yet, no sooner had authorities busted Kentucky's CJNG ringthan the cartel replaced Macias, sending in another team. 1 killer. Police had long known John Armas was a major meth trafficker, but he was careful. Dozens of couriers throughout the U.S. would then collect the drug profits and use the dirty moneyto buy scrap and fine gold. A cartel member even worked at Kentucky's famed Calumet Farm, home to eight Kentucky Derby and three Triple Crown winners. If you have drugs in your community, and I don't think there is any community that can say they don't have any, it is coming from the drug cartels. 21 258 33 0. Este es el #Mxico de @lopezobrador_ @BreitbartNews @elpais_america pic.twitter.com/E7kek1yNK4, Mxico Cdigo Rojo (@MexicoRojo1) February 28, 2022. He never mentioned suppliers in Mexico linked to a cartel, or what he called the Mexican mafia. U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon said he was troubled by Farfan's repeated drug crimes dating back at least to 1999. "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. Pullup the seat. Headless bodies were dumped at the doorstep of a business associated with the Farfan family in their home state of Michoacn. In 2017, Walker led a raid on a couple of Clatsop drug houses, teaming with Seaside, Cannon Beach and Oregon state police. "If that takes them killing other cartels or killing innocent people, they will do it.". Armas, in turn, paid Farfan, who then oversaw the flow of money back to cartel members in Mexico. I would like to be able to be with them. Soldiers seized a couple of modified and armored trucks at a warehouse in the municipality of Camargo during a patrol on Saturday, local media reported. Legal Statement. The CJNG split from the Sinaloa Cartel after the killing of Ignacio Coronel, a capo whose death caused a power vacuum (via Insight Crime).Based in the western state of Jalisco, CJNG was founded by Nemesio Oseguera Ramos, whose ongoing leadership has placed him on Mexican and American most wanted . The CJNG could take on the Sinaloa area, Baja California and the Golden Triangle, which it currently does not have in its control, but it's trying," said Wesley Tabor, a retired assistant special agent in charge of Los Angeles Field Division of the DEA. CJNG has skirted Mexican and U.S. inspections at legal border crossings by hiding drugs in semitrailers hauling tomatoes, avocados and other produce, dumping at least 5 tons of cocaine and 5 tons of meth into this country every month, according to DEA estimates. Despite the capture of certain top leaders, it is now Mexico's foremost criminal threat . "And that his uncle had manipulated him and used him and his cousin. Officials in Attorney General William Barr's office declined to comment on The Courier Journal's findings. "As well as the violence and corruption that puts at risk the neighbor with which the United States shares an enormous land border, and in which thousands of U.S. companies operate, and U.S. citizens live.". Agents arrested him in 2006, and he was convicted of illegally reentering the U.S. and trafficking cocaine and meth. 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.". Robertois awaiting sentencing in Paducah in August for trafficking meth while armed with a gun. His boss, Eddie Kane, Calumet's general manager, declined repeated requests for comment. CJNG burns rivals face alive as a way of mocking his nickname Ghost Rider. 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. 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. "There would be times on surveillance where you'd see 15 to 25 people roaming the local trap house waiting for the next supply to come in, walking around or sitting in cars, just waiting," said Walker, who later left the department. It's still a little shocking when you can tie it together and say for certain that's where it came from.". But also by his own peers after they abandoned him to this . This time, as Farfan oversaw his drug business, FBI agents mounted an investigation against him. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Follow him onTwitterandFacebook. Hearing more details, the investigator, who asked not to be identified to protect his work, acknowledged to The Courier Journal: "Its a great strategy.". Even after El Mencho's girlfriend went to prison, the cartel quickly returned to the Gulf Coast with more loads of drugs. We have all had a drug consumption problem," said the official, who asked not to be identified for his protection. SEASIDE, Ore. This tranquil coastal town is known for its wide beaches and grand promenade and for becoming a target for drug traffickers peddling meth supplied by a Mexican super cartel. 7. 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. 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. We're guests in their country.. . If someone you love dies from an overdose tonight, he may very well be to blame. "Once 'safe' areas such as Mexico City and Puebla State and the tourist zones of the Yucatan Peninsula are now contested. Alton Strupp and Matt Stone, Louisville Courier Journal. "But if you have drugs in your community, and I don't think there is any community that can say they don't have any, it is coming from the drug cartels. Federal police officer Ivan Morales, his partner andsoldierswith theMexican national defense climbed aboard helicopters andheaded toward a CJNG compound in theJaliscomountains. 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. "El Mencho, a former police officer, knows that violence and fear are what keepthese cartels in power within Mexico. You can follow him onTwitterand onFacebook. %privacy_policy%. But soon, he was asked to deliver drugs. The United Cartel carried out the attack against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel [CJNG] on the border separating northern states Michoacan and Jalisco earlier this month. "Either you or your family could be killed. He knew that cartels have connections inside U.S. prisons. Signs have also pointed to CJNG widening its footprint in the capital, Mexico City, aligning itself with the Fuerza Anti-Union gang to tackle the city's most extensive criminal enterprise, La Unin Tepito. CJNG's rapid rise to power and its expansion havestunned and stymied Americas top drug fighters. "But its a little different when you go to Boise, Idaho, and other small towns where they dont have the resources to really focus on an international cartel.". CJNG also has enlisted white-collar expertise. Throughout 2019, reporters analyzed thousands of court records of more than 100 criminal drug cases around the country and talked to more than 150 federal drug agents, police officers, defense attorneys and prosecutors. //

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