Armas enlisted help from his neighbors, a retired U.S. Marine and his wife. Sanctions recently imposed by the United States and Mexico on CJNG members allegedly linked to two high-profile murders demonstrate that the criminal group is one of the few remaining with a traditional hierarchical structure. Alderete also is accused of asking a criminal informant in Paducahfor assault rifles andagrenade launcherto supplya cartel "war" in Mexico,saidJesseRiddle, the Narcotics Unit captain with the McCracken County Sheriffs Office in Paducah. During that time,overdoses sent more victims to Kentucky's morgues than bullets and car crashes combined withthe commonwealth sufferingthe fifth-highest overdose death rate in the nation. On April 13, 2017, federal agents arrested Maciason his way to Calumet Farm. In disturbing footage, thugs smash a man's face into a truck before kicking and punching him on the floor. Authorities identified one of the four victims as Rey Jose Poblete Ramos, a man with a lengthy criminal history. He was thought to be one of the leaders of Carteles Unidos. His followers have spread tonearly all of Mexico's 32 states, including the cities ofGuadalajara and Tijuana, both crucial to moving drugs into the U.S. From there, ElMencho's empire went global, withasteady and growing customerbasein the U.S., as well as in Australia, Europe andJapan. But two years later, agents discovered he had slipped back into the U.S., returned to Portland and resumed trafficking cocaine and meth and had added heroin to his offerings. He doesn't make wild errors; he doesn't hesitate; one word for el Mecho is 'calculated,'" Wesley said. "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. "They are also very adept at using social media, such as Facebook and even Tik Tok, to show their strength and aggressiveness. 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. But in America, few know who he is or why his rise to power matters. The teenager sneaked into the U.S. and triedto build a customer base as a street-level dealer. The incident is only one of many deeds of bloodshed to have been carried out by the CJNG, whose barbarity is said to be on ascendance in recent weeks and months spilling on to U.S. soil and livelihoods. 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. And court records detail how the cartel lures those who need money to serve as drug or cash couriers or money launderers. All rights reserved. CJNG burns rivals face alive as a way of mocking his nickname Ghost Rider. According to Mexico News Daily, more than 500 people in communities around the municipalities of Aguililla and Buenavista have deserted their homes and fled in fear for their lives as the fighting soars. UNCENSORED VIDEO BELOW / New horrifying video shows three CJNG cartel members beheading two men from a rival cartel in Mexico. Why is The Courier Journal reporting on a deadly Mexican drug cartel? 1 killer. He remained in prison until his deportation in 2015, court records show. His attorney, Noel Grefenson, declined comment for this story. Enemies: CJNG, Juarez Cartel, Los Zetas. 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. Narcocorrido band Grupo Arriesgado forced out of Tijuana for singing about CJNG. Theyre also working to train Mexican police to improve the country's solve rate for kidnappings and murders, which is less than 5%. A young woman en route to selling street food was also fatally struck by a stray bullet through a car window. While some moves targeted the cartels finances, others were more personal. 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. You can follow him onTwitterand onFacebook. Despite the capture of certain top leaders, it is now Mexico's foremost criminal threat . Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @holliesmckay. Los Marros behead man, woman from CJNG cartel, Two men dismembered, ditched on road along with pizzas and cartel narcomantas, CJNG cartel members BBQ dismembered opps in Mexico, Sicarios who brutally stabbed two men to death dismembered in Mexico, Cartel members skin two men alive and wear their faces on their head. Mexican marines almost captured El Mencho in October 2018. It's still a little shocking when you can tie it together and say for certain that's where it came from.". "Theyre a business," Hammer said of cartels. Who was to blame? The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is Mexico's most violent crime gang. MEXICO PASSES BILL THAT COULD SET BACK US PARTNERSHIP IN DRUG WAR BY DECADES. 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. The cartel has run brothels in Mexico, often using teens and women forced into CJNG's web. Follow him onTwitterandFacebook. "You ask almost any young boy in Jalisco what they want to be when they grow up," one former intel officer, now based in Mexico City, lamented. Armas used the couple's home as a drug stash house, paying them with enough meth for their daily fix. "Police and civilians are dying, and the CJNG and continues unfettered, flooding the U.S. with methamphetamine and other drugs," Tabor added. 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. 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. Walker then secured search warrants to monitor social media accounts, where drug ring members chatted in code on Facebook Messenger. I would like to be able to be with them. Twomasterminds now in prisonorchestrated the scheme from Guadalajara:Carlos Parra Pedroza,aliasWalt Disney, who owned a jewelry store; and Diego Pineda Sanchez, an accountant. 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 . To build their lucrativedrug networks in the U.S., CJNG bosses mandated discretion to dodge police attention. "It's important for all Americans to understand the threat to their community and what might impact their everyday lives," Evans said. 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. . Further details Roberto Alderete revealed about CJNG remain hidden in sealed documents. In a desperate bid to cling to its remaining territory, the group has joined forces with a former rival: a fast-growing cartel called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). 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. He had at least five aliases and kept slipping back into the U.S. It could hide 9 kilos of drugs and a pile of cash. 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. 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.". IRAN SENTENCES 3 MORE MEN TO AMPUTATION FOR 'STEALING,' REVIVING ONCE-RARE ISLAMIC LAW. All rights reserved. [CDATA[ "They are, however, big on extortion and can turn to violence if victims refuse to cooperate," she asserted. To an extent, it worked, illustrating how cartels manipulate on both sides of the border through threats and violence. By 2018, the CJNG became the second most powerful cartel in Mexico, and was believed to have over 100 methamphetamine labs throughout the country. Garbage. Officials in Attorney General William Barr's office declined to comment on The Courier Journal's findings. But someCJNGbossesdidnt follow those rules. 2023www.courier-journal.com. He quickly amassed a privatearmy, with CJNG members recruitingor kidnappinghundreds of men in their 20s and boys as young as 12. "All intelligence indicates hes still there, moving regularly," said Craine, the retired DEA supervisor who led the successful hunt for El Chapo. March 30, 2022 MEXICO Grisly videos have emerged showing CJNG cartel members beheading rival narcos working under commands from La Vaca. Jalisco New Generation, often referred to as CJNG, is another Mexican cartel that emerged in 2010. 7. he asked his team. 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. 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. American authorities are still seeking his extradition to the U.S. to face drug charges. 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. While the CJNG makes no effortsto hide its beef with adverse cartels and Mexican military and law enforcement, civilians are all too often caught in the cryptic crossfire. John Walker in uniform (left), and Walker in his undercover look (right). On April 6, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Carlos . 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. CJNG, which routinely faces off with its No. "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.". Law enforcement agencies say that Mexican cartels have been targeting tourist destinations along the Oregon coast in an attempt to conceal their operations. When authorities arrested him, they found twoassault rifles, one inscribed with "Menchito" little Mencho and anotherengraved with"CJNG 02 JR.". 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. Drug dealers may not have worried about being caught here, in Clatsop County, a 90-minute drive northwest from the bustling city of Portland. This case is another example of how CJNG is increasingly vying for turf in Michoacn, the birthplace of its leader, Rubn Oseguera Cervantes. 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.. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel). 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He also didn't want to be shunned by his close-knit family for betraying his uncle, a senior relative. //]]>. "Theyre killing the next generation, and one of them was my son," Brenda Cooley said. Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. Los Cabos allegedly engaged in this violence in support of CJNG, one of the most dangerous transnational criminal organizations in the world. "Anyone who does the same will suffer. They found drugs and drug couriers, including a former nurse, linked back to Hillsboro in neighboring Washington County. 2023www.courier-journal.com. 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. Those who tried to run were tortured, killed and sometimescannibalizedby fellow recruits in what U.S. federal agents describe as a disturbing riteof passage. There's a lot of family back in Michoacn.". MEMBERS ONLY. Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. his anguished parents asked. That load was headed from Portland to Baltimore. 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. "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 followed Machado-Medrano as he took a taxi to a bus station and headed to a bathroom. On the run and out of sight, El Mencho is described by some veteran agents as a ghost. "If you provide information to the Mexican government, its probably the last thing you would say.". 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. hammering his body with at least three bullets, stolen cars converted into armored vehicles to drones and high-powered machine guns. Reporter Beth Warren: bwarren@courier-journal.com; 502-582-7164; Twitter @BethWarrenCJ. They seized more than $1 million in drug moneyhis couriers were hauling to Mexico. Many were scared silent and to this day no Mexican suppliers have faced justice for these crimes. CHINESE 'CARTELS' QUIETLY OPERATING IN MEXICO, AIDING US DRUG CRISIS. 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. WARNING: THE VIDEO IS EXTREMELY DISTURBING AND GRAPHIC AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE TO ALL AUDIENCES. More:He reached 'kingpin' status by selling Mexican cartel-supplied drugs. During his March sentence hearing, Farfan apologized for his crimes, but insisted, "I've never been a violent person. 1 / 6. Armas also used a former nurse from Clatsop County who was battling addiction to cart drugs from Hillsboro to the coast. "I was surprised that CJNGs efforts and tentacles were reaching into Kentucky, that they had expanded their reach that rapidly, said Evans, who previously headed the Louisville Field Division. 1 nemesis, the Sinaloa Cartel, dominates the majority supply of everything from methamphetamine and heroin to the devastating synthetic opioid. 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. Unlike most cartels and affiliated crime units that permeate Mexico, the CJNG has long posted its most extreme real-life horror films on display for the world to see across social media beheaded bodies left to hang and rot on bridges in broad daylight and beatings so brutal that the sound of bones cracking can be heard. "They send their businessmen out into the U.S. to look for areas of opportunity." They control witnesses in the U.S. by threatening to kidnap, torture and kill loved ones within their reach in Mexico, hamstringing agents trying to target drug kingpins and their powerful inner circle. CJNG is "among us. Farfan brought in at least 20 kilos of meth, half a kilo of heroin and nearly two kilos of fentanyl. Closethe air vents. 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. Evan Ellis, a research professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, underscored that as the criminal environment has become more fragmented with many groups and affiliated gangs, the amount of killing and its unpredictability has become more generalized. Alarmed by CJNG's surging violence in Mexico andcontinued expansion across this country, U.S. officials have pushed back. 12:52 you're really coward and pathetic what about cjng all the killings from . Roberto, 22, had a fianc and young daughter in Morelia, a city in Michoacn. "He was very minutely involved. In 2017, Walker led a raid on a couple of Clatsop drug houses, teaming with Seaside, Cannon Beach and Oregon state police. He had to pay $50,000. It is a forsaken endeavor to deter CJNG hitmen from infiltrating their neighborhoods. 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. 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