All rights reserved. Theyve got their money," Williams said. All rights reserved. "If that takes them killing other cartels or killing innocent people, they will do it.". 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. Agents followed Machado-Medrano as he took a taxi to a bus station and headed to a bathroom. 1nemesis, the Sinaloa Cartel, dominates the majority supply of everything from methamphetamine and heroin to the devastating synthetic opioid fentanyl into its northern border and beyond. A month later, Mexican authorities learned of ElMenchos new hiding spot andorganizeda secret mission to capture him. Eduardo mulled over his future. Throughout Mexico, more than 40,000 children and adults remain missing. Parra Pedroza and Pineda Sanchez received 13 and 15 years, respectively, in prison after both pleaded guilty to money laundering. "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. 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. Pointing to more than 70,000 Americans who overdosed and died in 2017, Coleman said, Were fighting a war for our families, and (the cartels) are winning.. Investigative reporter Beth Warren spent threedays in Mexico City and Guadalajara with the U.S. DrugEnforcement Administration and Mexican police and government officials. Mexican cartel murders bride at altar during her own wedding, kidnaps groom, Canada's defence minister pledges 200 armoured personnel carriers for Ukraine during . In May, a judge sentenced Armas to serve seven years and six months in prison, followed by five years of supervision. The couple's daughter, age 11, also was home. Roberto never talked to agents or prosecutors. It is a forsaken endeavor to deter CJNG hitmen from infiltrating their neighborhoods. The cartel exploits its connections with otherwise hard-working immigrants, said Dan Dodds, who leads DEA operations in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. Yet, no sooner had authorities busted Kentucky's CJNG ringthan the cartel replaced Macias, sending in another team. He initially came to the U.S. to earn money as a mechanic for another relative. In just six months, smugglers brought across the border almost two kilos of fentanyl up to 1 million lethal doses of the No. Law enforcement agencies say that Mexican cartels have been targeting tourist destinations along the Oregon coast in an attempt to conceal their operations. But betrayal awaited, "We see these nodes or pockets of cartel-related activity springing up in small, rural towns on the east side of Washington, in metropolitan areas like Portland and Seattle. "Theyre a business," Hammer said of cartels. Even if U.S. and Mexican investigators can track El Mencho's location, capturing him won't be easy. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is Mexico's most violent crime gang. Este es el #Mxico de @lopezobrador_ @BreitbartNews @elpais_america pic.twitter.com/E7kek1yNK4, Mxico Cdigo Rojo (@MexicoRojo1) February 28, 2022. CJNGmembers or associates would sell drugs to traffickers inWisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Georgia, California, Texas, Kentucky, Illinois and North Carolina. Maciasand Sosa were convicted of meth trafficking and money laundering and are serving 31 and 15 years, respectively, in federal prison. He can be contacted atbdarby@breitbart.com. State and federal authorities have been unable to stop a fierce war in Michoacan between the CJNG and Carteles Unidos, an alliance of smaller regional organizations with proxy support from the Sinaloa Cartel. "Drug cartels generally do not control territory in the same way that governments or even gangs do, but traditionally exert influence over certain activities in certain areas or routes," Ellis explained. Known as CJNG, the cartel is a global powerhouse, detected on every continent except Antarctica. 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. 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. Eight soldiers and Morales partner died. 7. Make no mistake, Taylor said. 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. Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook In disturbing footage, thugs smash a man's face into a truck before kicking and punching him on the floor. 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. 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. "I promise, you will hear more about El Mencho.". Follow him onTwitterandFacebook. But wrestling for land jurisdiction is only a piece of the CJNG puzzle. He was thought to be one of the leaders of Carteles Unidos. "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. Despite the capture of certain top leaders, it is now Mexico's foremost criminal threat . 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. "Different groups are active in virtually all Mexican territory, with the Sinaloa federation being concentrated in the north/west portion of the country, and CJNG being concentrated in the south/central but extending across Mexico to Veracruz.". Much of the violence is attributed to the battle for territorial surface and thus the control oftheillicit drug flow into the United States. Investigators listened in on several calls between Armas and his neighbors using code to coordinate drug deals. This short film details The Courier Journal's investigation into CJNG and its leader, El Mencho, began in early 2019 and what was uncovered. "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. He handed the bag to Noe Antonio Machado-Medrano, then age 23. Jalisco New Generation, often referred to as CJNG, is another Mexican cartel that emerged in 2010. Beginning in 2015, the U.S. Treasury Department designated El Mencho a "kingpin," along with his brother-in-law, Abigail Gonzlez Valencia, leader of the Los Cuinis cartel. 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. 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. 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. Ciro Macias Martinez led a double life, working as a horse groomer by day and overseeing the flow of $30 million worth of drugs into Kentuckyby night before being imprisoned in 2018 for meth trafficking and money laundering, federal records show. Moreover, the U.S. lacks the authority to make arrests in foreign countries, said Evans, a senior DEA official. Mexico's cartel crackdown struggling despite victory? As Farfan's day of reckoning neared, he and his family pleaded for leniency. 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. But soon, he was asked to deliver drugs. In cases in which immigrants resist the cartel's offer, CJNG members often threatened violence to them or their loved ones back in Mexico, according to court cases and law enforcement officials. 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. "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. Adam died midsentence while writing a thank-you note to a friend on the eve of entering a rehab facility. Alton Strupp and Matt Stone, Louisville Courier Journal. Walker realized he wasn't the only one watching this drug ring. 1 drug killing Americans. The young man, an opponent from a rival cartel, finds himself in the clutches of the Cartel de Sinaloa. more proof that CJNG ain't shit but zetas 2.0 gente de Sinaloa no trabaja asi como vale vergas. Farfan got the drugs from CJNG members in Michoacn, a western state long controlled by the cartel, La Familia Michoacna. 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. Who is El Mencho, the most powerful drug kingpin in the world? For police, it was d vu. Drug dealers may not have worried about being caught here, in Clatsop County, a 90-minute drive northwest from the bustling city of Portland. A pool of blood forms on the floor. Three of them are bare-chested. 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 21-year-old cartel leader, one of El Mencho's main underlings in Michoacn state, was killed when her heavily armed group launched a firefight with police. But he kept getting caught. Armas also asked them to repackage large amounts of drugs and sell out of their home to users as well as mid-level dealers. Police had long known John Armas was a major meth trafficker, but he was careful. Known as "El Mencho," he's remained in hiding for years and is on the DEA's Most Wanted list. 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. ", 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. Last year, there were 2,513 killings in tourist hotspot Tijuana . Hearing the word "cartel" uttered in open court instantly rattled Eduardo. The victim screamed in pain and begged them to kill him. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Victor Alvarez Farfan, a native of Michoacn, Mexico, headed the Portland drug ring blamed for bringing large amounts of meth, heroin and fentanyl across the border beginning in October 2017. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ACCOUNT, SIGN UP FOR ONE HERE. CJNGs increased distribution of fentanyl across the country has helped the synthetic opioid unseat heroin as the nations No. 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. This time, as Farfan oversaw his drug business, FBI agents mounted an investigation against him. But federal agents say CJNG was Kentuckys main supplier of fentanyl at the time of his death. The note was signed with the initials CJNG, or Jalisco Nueva Generacin Cartel, a cartel considered to be Mexico's most-dangerous cartel. It has drug cells all across the U.S., even in tiny towns. The Farfans and other defendants mulling over plea offers took it as a threat if they mentioned any cartel connections. The victims' wrists were tied using ligatures to prevent them all from bleeding to death. 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. The unending stream of narcotics has contributed to this countrys unprecedented addiction crisis, devastating families and killing more than 300,000 people since 2013. Colima: Four members of the CJNG cartel mistakenly identified a ten year old girl as the daughter of a rival involved in a conflict over drug market territory. After agents toppled the drug ring, the cartel turned on the gang. More:US drug czar wants India to stem flow of chemicals used by Mexican cartels for fentanyl. John Walker in uniform (left), and Walker in his undercover look (right). On the run and out of sight, El Mencho is described by some veteran agents as a ghost. "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. And though few Americans know his name, authorities promise they soon will. . Next steps crucial, experts say. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @holliesmckay. The cartel has run brothels in Mexico, often using teens and women forced into CJNG's web. Alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel arrested on smuggling charges in 2010 Credit: . "Your weapons laws (in the U.S.) are too weak," with American guns often ending up in the hands of cartel members in Mexico, he said. 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 had to pay $50,000. But betrayal awaited, Will El Chapo son's arrest slow export of drugs to US? Hisoffice has prosecuted Sinaloa and CJNG members. Known as CJNG, the cartel is a global powerhouse, detected on every continent except Antarctica. Months later, the veteran texted his adult son about his gratitude that agents arrested him, saving his life. And federal prosecutors alleged in court that convicted drug traffickerJesus Enrique Palomera, theleader of a cartel cell in Tacoma, Washington, ordered the kidnapping and murderof a manwhose fingers and toes werechopped off a commonmethod of torturein Mexico. CJNG's plan tomove intosmall-town America and cashin on the country's addiction crisis played out in Lexington, Kentucky. But in America, few know who he is or why his rise to power matters. "Theyre killing the next generation, and one of them was my son," Brenda Cooley said. 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. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. CJNG burns rivals face alive as a way of mocking his nickname Ghost Rider. 17. He is loving, respectful and a very caring human being.". "When you hear about the drug cartels and the amounts of drugs coming across the border, you start thinking those are big city problems," said Clatsop County Sheriff's Sgt. 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. 7. "If one wants to gain power, control and territory, it's a must that they conquer non-alliance cartels and gain the assistance of police and government entities to assist them in their global success.". "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. After his escape, the U.S. took its manhunt public. 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. Entire familieswho resisthave been slaughtered, Donahue said. If someone you love dies from an overdose tonight, he may very well be to blame. "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. Many are committed by cartels. [CDATA[ I would like to be able to be with them. Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. CJNG Pigs Kill Child Mistaking Her for the Child of a Rival Narco. 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