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’s largest drug cartels, including a man Washington says is the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s new leader.
According to a statement from the Treasury Department, dual US-Mexican national Juan Carlos Gonzalez took control of the cartel after the killing of its previous chief “El Mencho” earlier this year.
CJNG is an ultra-violent Mexico-based paramilitary gang involved in extortion, money laundering, and running a global drug trafficking network.
Gonzalez, also known as “Pelon,” is the stepson of “El Mencho” real name Nemesio Oseguera who was injured and captured in a military sweep in Mexico’s Jalisco state in February and died of his injuries en route to the hospital.
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’s 32 states.
More than 70 people died in that violence, most in Jalisco.
In April, Mexican authorities said they had captured two top criminals, including Audias Flores Silva, described as Oseguera’s right-hand man and expected by many to succeed him as the head of CJNG. Silva was identified by the US Treasury as one of Gonzalez’s deputies.
The US Treasury said in a statement that Thursday’s action “disrupts a wide range of criminal activities benefiting CJNG across multiple Mexican states.”
The statement added that Gonzalez is charged in a US federal drug trafficking case in Washington, with the US State Department offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The new sanctions target a wide range of individuals and companies that Washington says are linked to CJNG’s leadership through business or family ties and that are used by the cartel to launder or conceal their assets.
They also target an alleged cocaine trafficking network and a group of individuals and companies accused of involvement in Mexico’s huge fuel smuggling sector.
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