$100 Million Reward Offered for Capture of Eight Mexican Cartel Leaders
Justice Department unseals new charges against senior CJNG members, including El Mencho’s successor
The Department of Justice, in coordination with multiple federal agencies, has announced new charges against eight senior leaders of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), one of Mexico’s most dangerous drug cartels. The State Department is offering more than $100 million in rewards for information leading to their arrests and/or convictions.
Key Figures and Rewards
The largest reward — up to $25 million — is offered for Juan Carlos Valencia González, also known as “Pelón,” 41, who authorities say assumed the role of CJNG’s top leader following the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” during a Mexican military operation in February 2026. Valencia González is El Mencho’s stepson and faces charges including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
Other rewards include:
- Audias Flores Silva (“Jardinero”), 45 — Up to $15 million for information leading to conviction
- Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán (“Sapo”), 37 — Up to $15 million
- Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez (“Chorro”), 49 — Up to $15 million
- Julio César Montero Pinzón (“Tarjetas”), 44 — Up to $10 million
- Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela (“La Firma”), 40 — Up to $10 million
- Ricardo Ruiz Velasco (“RR” / “Tripa”), 42 — Up to $10 million
- Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón, 36 — Up to $2 million
Charges and Allegations
According to court filings, Montero Pinzón and Rivera Varela founded and led the “Grupo Elite,” an enforcement arm of CJNG consisting of highly trained hitmen. The group allegedly oversaw training camps where recruits learned weapons handling, including rocket launchers and machineguns, as well as torture techniques.
Mendoza Gaytán, described as El Mencho’s godson, allegedly procured weapons and trained sicarios at the camps.
Ruiz Velasco, a Grupo Elite leader, allegedly oversaw CJNG operations across multiple Mexican territories, including drug trafficking, bribery, and enforcement.
Castillo Rodríguez, El Mencho’s former son-in-law, allegedly oversaw operations in Colima, Mexico, and managed drug proceeds and precursor chemicals for methamphetamine production.
Timeshare Fraud Scheme
Arredondo Pinzón, Montero Pinzón, and Rivera Varela are also charged in the Eastern District of New York with running an international fraud scheme targeting Americans who own timeshare properties in Mexico. Thousands of U.S. victims have reported hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
“The American people gave us a mandate to keep this country safe, and we will not rest until it is fulfilled,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “With these charges now public, and with more than $100 million in State Department rewards, this administration will use every tool at its disposal to bring these defendants to justice – no matter where they hide.”
Note: Copies of the indictments filed in the District of Columbia can be obtained by clicking on Julio César Montero Pinzón, Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, and Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez. A copy of the superseding indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York can be found here.
Reward posters of the eight CJNG fugitives can be found here.
Cartel Ex-Wife Pleads Guilty to Funneling Drug Money Through Florida Prep School
Wendy Amaral Arevalo used IMG Academy tuition payments to launder over $500,000 in illicit proceeds
The ex-wife and current partner of a leader of the Mexican drug trafficking organization Los Cuinis has pleaded guilty to willfully violating counternarcotic sanctions by funneling over half a million dollars in drug proceeds through a Florida preparatory school.
Wendy Dalaithy Amaral Arevalo, 45, of Mexico, committed criminal violations of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act by engaging in transactions with IMG Academy, a preparatory school and athletic training facility headquartered in Bradenton, Florida, that her child attended.
The Scheme
On Aug. 19, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Amaral Arevalo for assisting the international narcotics trafficking activities of Los Cuinis, a sanctioned drug cartel closely aligned with the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), which the State Department designated as a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.
Despite the designation, which prohibited her from engaging in transactions within the U.S. financial system, Amaral Arevalo entered into contracts with IMG Academy for her child to attend the school and arranged for $504,497.48 in tuition payments.
On July 21, 2023, Amaral Arevalo’s ex-husband and current partner, Gerardo Gonzalez Valencia, was sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to distribute tonnage quantities of cocaine for importation into the United States.
Penalties
Amaral Arevalo faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $10 million. Sentencing has been set for Dec. 2.
“The Kingpin Act exists to cut off foreign narcotics traffickers, their businesses, and their operatives from engaging in transactions within the U.S. financial system,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. “The Criminal Division will use every tool available to dismantle drug cartels, protect the American people, and ensure financial transactions in the United States are free of sanctioned drug proceeds.”
Amaral Arevalo’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2.
Two Gang Members Found Guilty of Murder in Mexican Mafia-Ordered Robbery
Victim was killed outside his Placentia home in armed robbery ordered from prison
Two members of a Southern California street gang operating under a branch of the Mexican Mafia prison gang were found guilty by a jury of murdering a man outside his home while attempting to rob him.
Ysrael Jacob Cordova, 41, also known as “Trips,” of Placentia, and Ricardo Valenzuela, 44, also known as “Solo,” of Buena Park, each were found guilty of one count of murder in aid of racketeering activity.
The Crime
According to evidence presented at trial, the robbery was ordered by a Mexican Mafia member in charge of criminal activities in Orange County, who was imprisoned at the Orange County jail at the time of the murder. He communicated the order to rob the victim to a Mexican Mafia member incarcerated in a different California prison, who then relayed the order to Cordova and Valenzuela.
That same day, Cordova and Valenzuela were driven to the victim’s neighborhood in Placentia to rob him. Both brandished long guns, and Cordova shot and killed the victim. The robbery and murder were captured on surveillance video, which was introduced as evidence during the trial.
Background
The Mexican Mafia, also known as “La Eme,” is a U.S.-based prison gang that has immense control over Hispanic street gangs in Southern California, directing illegal activities from prisons and collecting a portion of the proceeds from drug trafficking, illegal gambling, and other crimes committed on the streets.
Sentencing and Investigation
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22, at which time Cordova and Valenzuela will face mandatory penalties of life in prison. They have been in federal custody since spring 2022.
Federal prosecutors have secured 15 convictions in this criminal investigation targeting the Orange County Mexican Mafia. Of the eight remaining defendants, one is scheduled for trial in July 2027 and seven are scheduled for trial in August 2027 on charges that include racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses.
“Gang members directing crimes from behind bars cannot be tolerated,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. “Acts of violence like these have no place in our communities.”
Cordova and Valenzuela face mandatory life sentences at their Oct. 22 sentencing.
Brother of Cartel Leader ‘El Mencho’ Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking and Firearm Charges
Antonio Oseguera Cervantes faces up to two consecutive life sentences for cocaine and methamphetamine conspiracy
A Mexican national and brother of the late leader of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for unlawful importation into the United States and using a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, 67, of Michoacán, Mexico, trafficked cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States for Mexico-based cartels for over two decades.
Cartel Operations
From around 2002 to 2010, Oseguera Cervantes operated as a member of the Milenio Cartel in Jalisco, Mexico, overseeing narcotics sales, protecting territories from rival cartels, and supervising methamphetamine laboratories. He procured precursor chemicals for methamphetamine manufacture and distributed methamphetamine and cocaine destined for the United States.
Since around 2010, he worked with and reported directly to his brother, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” who co-founded and led CJNG. According to court documents, Oseguera Cervantes furthered CJNG’s drug trafficking operations by supplying precursor chemicals to methamphetamine laboratories and distributing cocaine and methamphetamine for the cartel. He also collected drug proceeds and managed money laundering activities, including transferring drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico through currency exchange locations.
When collecting drug proceeds or attending meetings to discuss drug trafficking, Oseguera Cervantes armed himself with a pistol.
Charges and Penalties
Oseguera Cervantes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine destined to the United States, as well as using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of two consecutive life sentences.
“We thank the Government of Mexico for its assistance in securing Oseguera Cervantes’ presence in the United States for prosecution,” the department stated.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Please donate today!
Your support is vital to sustain and grow Wick & Company News Media!
Our donation process is fully encrypted to ensure all personal and financial information is kept safe and secure.
About the Author
