{"id":410759,"date":"2026-07-24T13:21:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/410759\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T13:21:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:21:12","slug":"u-s-targets-california-born-leader-of-notorious-jalisco-cartel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/410759\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. targets California-born leader of notorious Jalisco cartel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The United States on Thursday announced a slew of sanctions targeting more than 50 Mexican individuals and entities allegedly linked to one of the country&#8217;s largest drug cartels, including a California-born man Washington says is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel&#8217;s new leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to a <a data-ylk=\"slk:statement;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/sb0573?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">statement<\/a> from the Treasury Department, dual U.S.-Mexican national Juan Carlos Gonzalez took control of the cartel (known by its Spanish acronym <a data-ylk=\"slk:CJNG;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/el-mencho-killed-jalisco-cartel-future-mexico\/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">CJNG<\/a>) after the killing of its previous chief <a data-ylk=\"slk:&quot;El Mencho&quot;;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/violence-mexico-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-killed-military-puerto-vallarta\/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;El Mencho&#8221;<\/a> in February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">CJNG is an ultra-violent Mexico-based paramilitary cartel involved in extortion, money laundering and running a global drug trafficking network. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Gonzalez, also known as &#8220;Pelon,&#8221; is the stepson of &#8220;El Mencho&#8221; \u2014 real name Nemesio Oseguera \u2014 who was injured and captured in a military sweep in Mexico&#8217;s Jalisco state in February and died of his injuries en route to the hospital.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The killing sparked a wave of violence across Mexico, with the cartel setting up highway blockades and setting fire to vehicles and buildings in 20 of the country&#8217;s 32 states.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">More than 70 people died in that violence, including <a data-ylk=\"slk:25 National Guard members;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/el-mencho-killed-25-mexican-national-guard-troops-killed-jalisco-cartel\/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">25 National Guard members<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In April, Mexican authorities said they had captured two top criminals, including <a data-ylk=\"slk:Audias Flores Silva;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/cartel-leader-the-gardener-us-charges-captured-ditch\/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Audias Flores Silva<\/a> (alias &#8220;The Gardener&#8221;), described as Oseguera&#8217;s right-hand man and expected by many to succeed him as the head of CJNG. Silva, who was\u00a0<a data-ylk=\"slk:arrested on April 27;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/jalisco-cartel-leader-el-jardinero-captured-mexico-us-reward\/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">arrested on April 27<\/a>\u00a0while hiding in a ditch in the western state of Nayarit, was identified by the U.S. Treasury as one of Gonzalez&#8217;s deputies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The U.S. Treasury said in a statement that Thursday&#8217;s action &#8220;disrupts a wide range of criminal activities benefiting CJNG across multiple Mexican states.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In February 2025, the Trump administration\u00a0<a data-ylk=\"slk:designated the cartel;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/designation-of-international-cartels?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">designated the cartel<\/a>\u00a0as a foreign terrorist organization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Today&#8217;s action strikes Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion&#8217;s leadership, financiers, and criminal networks, denying the cartel the resources it uses to traffic fentanyl, terrorize communities, and threaten American lives,&#8221; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The statement added that Gonzalez is charged in a U.S. federal drug trafficking case in Washington, with the U.S. State Department offering a <a data-ylk=\"slk:reward of up to $5 million;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/juan-carlos-valencia-gonzalez?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">reward of up to $5 million<\/a> for information leading to his arrest or conviction. According to the State Department, Gonzalez was born in Santa Ana, California, on Sept. 12, 1984.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Juan Carlos Gonzalez,\u00a0                 also known as\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"949\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cbs_news_897\/087ecc4d05cca2755107ed24fa3fcb6c.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Juan Carlos Gonzalez,\u00a0                 also known as<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The new sanctions target a wide range of individuals and companies that Washington says are linked to CJNG&#8217;s leadership through business or family ties and that are used by the cartel to launder or conceal their assets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They also target an alleged cocaine trafficking network and a group of individuals and companies accused of involvement in Mexico&#8217;s huge fuel smuggling sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Last month,\u00a0 the U.S. Treasury announced a <a data-ylk=\"slk:new bank alert;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/us-bank-alert-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-sanctions\/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">new bank alert<\/a> targeting the cartel. Treasury&#8217;s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on two men and nine companies involved in transportation, financial services and real estate, accused of being tied to a cartel-linked\u00a0<a data-ylk=\"slk:fuel theft ring;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-administration-sanctions-mexican-cartel-leader-sledgehammer-oil-theft\/?ftag=YHF4eb9d17\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">fuel theft ring<\/a>\u00a0intended to evade Mexican taxes while generating tens of millions of dollars annually for the cartel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The United States on Thursday announced a slew of sanctions targeting more than 50 Mexican individuals and entities&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[164534,7,9,8,164535,57283,25497,164532,164533,31721,24005,44059],"class_list":["post-410759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-audias-flores-silva","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-cartel-de-jalisco-nueva-generacion","tag-drug-cartels","tag-jalisco-new-generation-cartel","tag-juan-carlos-gonzalez","tag-nemesio-oseguera","tag-the-united-states","tag-treasury-department","tag-u-s-state-department"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}