The federal agency stated in its report that the chemical precursors used by the CJNG mostly come from China and India.
Rubén Oseguera González, alias ‘El Menchito’, son of the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was found guilty this Friday by a jury in Washington DC on two drug trafficking-related charges.
Specifically, he was convicted of conspiring to traffic cocaine and methamphetamine to the United States and for the use and possession of firearms, including destructive devices, for drug trafficking purposes.
Oseguera González, considered the cartel’s second-in-command, faces a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison up to life imprisonment. The sentence will be announced at a hearing scheduled for January 10, 2025.
During the trial, several witnesses narrated his rise within the CJNG’s criminal structure, founded by his father, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’.
“‘El Menchito’ led the Jalisco Cartel’s efforts to use murder, kidnapping, and torture to turn the cartel into a self-proclaimed ’empire’ by manufacturing fentanyl and flooding the United States with massive amounts of lethal drugs. Today, fentanyl is the most lethal drug threat the US has ever faced,” said US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement.
“‘El Menchito’ now joins the growing list of high-ranking cartel leaders that the Department of Justice has convicted in a US court. We thank our Mexican law enforcement partners for their extensive cooperation and sacrifice in holding the Jalisco Cartel leaders accountable,” he added.
‘El Menchito’ was extradited to the US in 2020 following his arrest in Mexico. He had been detained twice before, in 2014 and 2015.
“Rubén Oseguera González was a pioneer in fentanyl manufacturing in Mexico, helping to turn his father’s Jalisco Cartel into one of the world’s most powerful drug syndicates. His crimes caused horrific violence and death in the United States, Mexico, and around the world,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
The judge overseeing the case against ‘El Menchito’, Beryl A. Howell, has already prosecuted other members of the Oseguera family, such as Jessica Johanna Oseguera González, daughter of ‘El Mencho’.
‘El Menchito’ Operated as a ‘Narco-Prince’ in Mexico
During the trial, prosecutor Kaitlin Sahni, who led the case against Oseguera González, described him as a “narco-prince” due to the rank he achieved within the CJNG.
“He went from being second in command in a plaza to being second in command of an entire cartel,” said the prosecutor at the conclusion of her arguments against ‘El Menchito’.
During the trial, one of the witnesses was Óscar Nava Valencia, alias ‘El Lobo’, who was part of the leadership of the Millennium Cartel, a former ally of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Nava Valencia narrated how ‘El Menchito’ rose within the CJNG after starting to coordinate drug shipments from the age of 15.
The Department of Justice also presented text messages from a Blackberry owned by Oseguera González in which he talked about drug and arms trafficking and kidnappings.
The CJNG is considered by the Department of Justice as one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico.
According to an assessment by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the CJNG consolidated its strength around 2011, becoming one of the most powerful and violent cartels internationally.
Since then, it has become one of the main producers of fentanyl trafficked to the United States. The criminal organization has a presence in all 50 states, according to the DEA.
“They have flooded the streets of the United States with fentanyl, often mixed with other drugs like heroin, cocaine, and xylazine,” says the DEA report.
The federal agency stated in its report that the chemical precursors used by the CJNG mostly come from China and India.
Source: Univision
