", "He said: 'I'll do the time. "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.". 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. After his escape, the U.S. took its manhunt public. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. 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. A nine-month Courier Journal investigation reveals how CJNG's reach hasspread across the U.S. in the past five years, overwhelming cities and small towns with massive amounts of drugs. A high-ranking state official in Jaliscosaid Americans are too quick to blame Mexico for the U.S. drug crisis. In Seaside, known for commercial fishing and timber, traffickers easily established a strong customer base. Two years earlier, they stumbled onto a drug business at the same auto repair shop allegedly run by suspect Jose Cruz Gutierrez Bustos. 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. Who is El Mencho, the most powerful drug kingpin in the world? Walker then secured search warrants to monitor social media accounts, where drug ring members chatted in code on Facebook Messenger. But he kept getting caught. In early-morning raids Wednesday, federal agents fanned out across the U.S., culminating a six-month investigation with the primary goal of dismantling the upper echelon of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG. The Courier Journal's investigation into CJNG's surge comes during a recent wave of significantviolence among warring drug cartels in Mexico. It is a tactic later mimicked by the likes of ISIS, a digital bid to intimidate and inflict anxiety on enemy factions and send a warning to government law enforcement who dare to meddle in their monetary schemes. More than 60 were targeted, including a biotech consulting company, a bakery and hillside vacation cabins. The young man, an opponent from a rival cartel, finds himself in the clutches of the Cartel de Sinaloa. 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." 1 killer. CJNG also has enlisted white-collar expertise. 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. Rapid gunfire could be heard in videos that appeared to have been recorded at the scene of the mass murder. There, he built a thriving drug trafficking business, but the city's dominantcartel ordered him to leave when leaders became threatened by his success. A federal grand jury had indicted him and more than 20 others on money laundering and drug trafficking charges. In disturbing footage, thugs smash a man's face into a truck before kicking and punching him on the floor. Drug trafficking is popping up in unlikely tourist areas along the Oregon coast: Photos. The unending stream of narcotics has contributed to this countrys unprecedented addiction crisis, devastating families and killing more than 300,000 people since 2013. "Theyre a business," Hammer said of cartels. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Twomasterminds now in prisonorchestrated the scheme from Guadalajara:Carlos Parra Pedroza,aliasWalt Disney, who owned a jewelry store; and Diego Pineda Sanchez, an accountant. 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. 17 555 49 1. However, authorities did find bullet casings. On the run and out of sight, El Mencho is described by some veteran agents as a ghost. One of the working law enforcement theories suggests the gunmen were targeting a former ally attending his mothers funeral. Farfan also had to hand over $100,000. Jalisco New Generation, often referred to as CJNG, is another Mexican cartel that emerged in 2010. 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. More:Will El Chapo son's arrest slow export of drugs to US? CJNG remains the domineering force in its namesake state of Jalisco where the former governor was gunned down on Friday, in what many believe to have been the work of the cartel and its trail of terror is steadily proliferating. "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. U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon said he was troubled by Farfan's repeated drug crimes dating back at least to 1999. FBI agents lauded Walker's work, which helped the Bureau and Homeland Security Investigations expose an extensive drug distribution cell that targeted the Pacific Northwest. 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. 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. He had to pay $50,000. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ACCOUNT, SIGN UP FOR ONE HERE. He paid couriers to return the drug profits to him. He initially came to the U.S. to earn money as a mechanic for another relative. He also didn't want to be shunned by his close-knit family for betraying his uncle, a senior relative. Ciro Macias Martinez was praised by his supervisor and fellow farmhands alike for his punctuality, work ethicand soothing manner with horses at the breeding and training farm in the heart of Kentucky. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. There's a serious danger. 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. MEMBERS ONLY. Closethe air vents. All rights reserved. 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. "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. March 30, 2022 MEXICO Grisly videos have emerged showing CJNG cartel members beheading rival narcos working under commands from La Vaca. To help Maciassmuggle drugs into the U.S., cartel leaders used a Toyota Camry with a secret compartment on the armrest that opened through a sequence of steps: Turnon the heater. Mexico's cartel crackdown struggling despite victory? Make no mistake, Taylor said. "He has transformed his life from being an insular methamphetamine abuser to an active member of the recovery community, mentoring and guiding others who struggle," his attorney argued in a May 6, 2020, sentence memo asking for leniency. 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. It is known for its aggressive use of violence and its public relations campaigns. All rights reserved. CJNG, which routinely faces off with its No. She has extensively reported from war zones including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma, and Latin America investigates global conflicts, war crimes and terrorism around the world. He had at least five aliases and kept slipping back into the U.S. Reply Delete Months later, the veteran texted his adult son about his gratitude that agents arrested him, saving his life. Those who tried to run were tortured, killed and sometimescannibalizedby fellow recruits in what U.S. federal agents describe as a disturbing riteof passage. Businesses in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Los Angeles would buy the goldand then send the payments through wire transfers to Mexico including to Parra Pedroza's precious metals business. 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. Betrayal led to the drug ring'scollapse. Armas, in turn, supplied the former nurse and other dealers who carted the drugs further west into Seaside and other communities in Clatsop. 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. While some moves targeted the cartels finances, others were more personal. Man filmed eating dead body parts of rival Cartel member. The government also alleges that Los Cabos targeted law enforcement in Tijuana, killing at least three police officers. His cousin, Roberto Carlos Farfan Alvarez, known as "Raton" or "Mouse," pleaded guilty but never talked to police. Brenda and Karl Cooley of Louisville certainly didnt know his name when their son Adam overdosed on fentanyl in March 2017. But soon, he was asked to deliver drugs. The . "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.". Despite the capture of certain top leaders, it is now Mexico's foremost criminal threat . Armas used the couple's home as a drug stash house, paying them with enough meth for their daily fix. U.S. drug agents believe he's in western Mexico, hiding in remote jungles or mountains of Jalisco, Colima or Michocan. He is loving, respectful and a very caring human being.". Regardless, prosecutors had strong evidence including transcripts from six months of wire taps in 2018 as Farfan chatted about drug shipments. According to the military, the vehicles were used by the CDG (Gulf Cartel) to transport drugs and hitmen. He got his first glimpse of CJNGs success when he was overseeing drug cases in Los Angeles, a key cartel hub. The group has also upped the ante for sea and air authority too fighting the likes of Sinaloa and the vestiges of Los Zetas and Los Pelones to take heed over the vital port of Chetumal and the Yucatan Peninsula, according to ananalysisby InSight Crime. It has an army of 5,000 members, including some former police officers. 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. From the shadows, he continues to lead CJNG with ruthless authority. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Snchez was once a top lieutenant in the CJNG, but split to form his own cartel called La Nueva Plaza in 2017. 7. //