US EditionMan Who Co-Founded Mexican Drug Cartel with 'El Mencho' Pleads Guilty in US to Conspiracy Charge
Jalisco New Generation Cartel co-founder pleads guilty to drug conspiracy, admitting to roles in recruitment and gathering information on rivals.
- On Tuesday, Erick Valencia Salazar, a 49-year-old California man who co-founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, pleaded guilty in Washington to federal narcotics conspiracy.
- Valencia Salazar previously belonged to the Milenio Cartel before founding the Jalisco New Generation Cartel with Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho'; President Donald Trump's administration designated the group a foreign terrorist organization.
- The Army recaptured Valencia Salazar in 2022 near Tapalpa, and he was extradited in February 2025 among 29 drug lords; Chief Judge James Boasberg is scheduled to sentence him on July 31.
- Justice Department official Tysen Duva said the cartel has inflicted "immeasurable damage" on the U.S. and that Valencia Salazar was responsible for "furthering the rampant violence in Mexico."
- After parting ways with Oseguera Cervantes, Valencia Salazar formed a rival group called La Nueva Plaza; the State Department previously offered up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.
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23 Articles
Erick Valencia Salazar, "El 85", one of the founders of the CJNG, pleaded guilty in the United States for massive trafficking of coca na from Mexico.
Erick Valencia Salazar, alias 85, has entered into an agreement with the U.S. government this Tuesday. The Mexican criminal, one of the founders of the feared Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), has pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine to the U.S. during his hearing in a federal court in Washington. Continue reading
Associated Press News
Man who co-founded Mexican drug cartel with 'El Mencho' pleads guilty in US to conspiracy charge
A founder of one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent drug cartels has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to a federal narcotics conspiracy charge.
He is one of the 29 drug traffickers that the Mexican government handed over to the United States in February 2025.
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