The US State Department launched a major operation against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. The department offered rewards totaling up to $102 million for information leading to the capture or conviction of CJNG leaders and associates.
The highest reward, $25 million, will be given for information leading to the capture of Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, also known as "Pelon," who is identified as the cartel's new leader. The US considers Valencia Gonzalez the head of CJNG following the death of its founder, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, alias "El Mencho."
The State Department's statement said, "CJNG is among the most violent and dangerous narco-terrorist organizations in our hemisphere, poisoning American communities with illicit fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine." The cartel was designated both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity in 2025.
In addition to the reward offers, visa restrictions were imposed on 65 family members, close personal associates, or business partners of CJNG-linked individuals sanctioned under an executive order. It was reported that 26 existing US visas were also revoked as part of this measure.
The operation is being conducted in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the National Coordination Center. The rewards are offered under the Narcotics Rewards Program and the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
