Latest news with #JaliscoCartel
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-agent, wife murdered after he testified against drug lord's son
A former Mexican federal agent who testified against the drug trafficker son of the country's most wanted man was shot dead in the central state of Morelos, authorities said Thursday. Ivan Morales was a prosecution witness in the U.S. trial of Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, a leader of Mexico's violent Jalisco New Generation cartel, who was jailed for life by a Washington court in March. Gonzalez's father is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes -- better known as "El Mencho" -- who heads the cartel and has a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head. Morales and his wife were shot dead on Wednesday morning as they were traveling in their vehicle in the Temixco area, around 60 miles from Mexico City, according to a police report. State prosecutors are investigating the crime and have not ruled out revenge as a possible motive, local media reported. Morales had a decade ago, on May 1, 2015, survived one of Mexico's bloodiest drug trafficking attacks, when a military helicopter carrying 16 soldiers and two federal police officers was shot down in the western state of Jalisco. Nine people died but Morales managed to escape from the burning wreckage, though he suffered severe burns that left part of his face disfigured. That helicopter was flying in an ultimately unsuccessful mission to arrest "El Mencho." In September, a federal jury convicted the younger Oseguera -- nicknamed "El Menchito" -- of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for U.S. importation and using a firearm in a drug conspiracy. "El Menchito led the Jalisco Cartel's efforts to use murder, kidnapping, and torture to build the Cartel into a self-described 'empire' by manufacturing fentanyl and flooding the United States with massive quantities of lethal drugs," former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in September. Ruben Oseguera ordered the killings of at least 100 people, personally shot and killed at least two people and ordered subordinates to shoot down the Mexican military helicopter in 2015, prosecutors said. Jalisco cartel targeted by the U.S. The Jalisco New Generation cartel is one of the most powerful criminal gangs in Mexico and has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. The group has been accused of using fake job advertisements to lure new members and of torturing and killing recruits who resist. In March, a group of people looking for missing relatives found charred bones, shoes and clothing at a suspected training ground for the cartel. On Thursday, the Trump administration on Thursday imposed economic sanctions on three Mexican nationals and two Mexico-based entities involved in a drug trafficking and fuel theft network linked to the Jalisco cartel. The new sanctions targeted top members Cesar Morfin Morfin (dubbed "Primito") and his brothers Alvaro Noe Morfin Morfin and Remigio Morfin Morfin, target the group's fuel theft network. "Primito's luxurious lifestyle has included ownership of exotic animals and dozens of luxury vehicles," the Treasury said in a news release, while releasing an image of a jaguar allegedly seized from Primito by Mexican authorities in December 2023. U.S. officials allege Primito is involved in the transportation and distribution of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana into the United States. The Treasury Department says that network has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue to the Mexican government and also funds the flow of illicit fentanyl into the United States. Kristi Noem says if Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to U.S. we'd "immediately deport him again" Mike Waltz leaving post as Trump's national security adviser | Special Report Extended interview: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on deportations involving children and more
CBS News
02-05-2025
- CBS News
Former agent, wife shot dead after he testified against son of powerful Mexico cartel leader
A former Mexican federal agent who testified against the drug trafficker son of the country's most wanted man was shot dead in the central state of Morelos, authorities said Thursday. Ivan Morales was a prosecution witness in the U.S. trial of Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, a leader of Mexico's violent Jalisco New Generation cartel, who was jailed for life by a Washington court in March. Gonzalez's father is Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes -- better known as "El Mencho" -- who heads the cartel and has a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head. Morales and his wife were shot dead on Wednesday morning as they were traveling in their vehicle in the Temixco area, around 60 miles from Mexico City, according to a police report. State prosecutors are investigating the crime and have not ruled out revenge as a possible motive, local media reported. Morales had a decade ago, on May 1, 2015, survived one of Mexico's bloodiest drug trafficking attacks, when a military helicopter carrying 16 soldiers and two federal police officers was shot down in the western state of Jalisco. Nine people died but Morales managed to escape from the burning wreckage, though he suffered severe burns that left part of his face disfigured. That helicopter was flying in an ultimately unsuccessful mission to arrest "El Mencho." In September, a federal jury convicted the younger Oseguera -- nicknamed "El Menchito" -- of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for U.S. importation and using a firearm in a drug conspiracy. "El Menchito led the Jalisco Cartel's efforts to use murder, kidnapping, and torture to build the Cartel into a self-described 'empire' by manufacturing fentanyl and flooding the United States with massive quantities of lethal drugs," former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in September. Mexican soldiers participate in a military operation during which Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, aka "el Menchito" son of the leader of the Jalisco next Generation cartel, was arrested, in Guadalajara, Mexico on January 30, 2014. HECTOR GUERRERO/AFP via Getty Images Ruben Oseguera ordered the killings of at least 100 people, personally shot and killed at least two people and ordered subordinates to shoot down the Mexican military helicopter in 2015, prosecutors said. Jalisco cartel targeted by the U.S. The Jalisco New Generation cartel is one of the most powerful criminal gangs in Mexico and has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. The group has been accused of using fake job advertisements to lure new members and of torturing and killing recruits who resist. In March, a group of people looking for missing relatives found charred bones, shoes and clothing at a suspected training ground for the cartel. On Thursday, the Trump administration on Thursday imposed economic sanctions on three Mexican nationals and two Mexico-based entities involved in a drug trafficking and fuel theft network linked to the Jalisco cartel. The new sanctions targeted top members Cesar Morfin Morfin (dubbed "Primito") and his brothers Alvaro Noe Morfin Morfin and Remigio Morfin Morfin, target the group's fuel theft network. "Primito's luxurious lifestyle has included ownership of exotic animals and dozens of luxury vehicles," the Treasury said in a news release, while releasing an image of a jaguar allegedly seized from Primito by Mexican authorities in December 2023. A jaguar seized from Primito by Mexican authorities in December 2023. U.S. Treasury Department U.S. officials allege Primito is involved in the transportation and distribution of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana into the United States. The Treasury Department says that network has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue to the Mexican government and also funds the flow of illicit fentanyl into the United States.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Mexico's port expansion is a win for China and fentanyl trafficking
Ports are power, and Mexico has announced a massive plan to invest in Manzanillo — its largest port infrastructure and the third-most important port in Latin America. The expansion represents a double threat to Mexico's relationship with the U.S., because it would increase trade with China and opens the door for greater fentanyl-related chemicals coming from Beijing. China has deployed and developed its own technology and trade across America's backyard in a highly strategic manner. It already has a strong presence and power in ports of the Caribbean (Bahamas), South America (Peru), Central America (Panama) and North America (Mexico). According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, there is a long history of alliances between drug trafficking organizations in the Mexican state of Colima, a region where the Sinaloa Cartel operates and has access to the Port of Manzanillo — strategically important infrastructure, due to its location on the central Pacific coast and its high volume of maritime traffic. The Port of Manzanillo is located just south of the rival stronghold of the Jalisco Cartel, which, according to the DEA, increases tensions between the two main Mexican cartels. Numerous trucking companies collaborate with the Sinaloa Cartel to transport illicit drugs and precursor chemicals essential for producing fentanyl and methamphetamines. The U.S. government has stated that the Chinese government is behind a powerful precursor chemical industry used by cartels to produce the drugs, which are then brought into America. In December, Mexican authorities seized a shipment containing 25 tons of drug precursors at the port of Manzanillo — a quantity sufficient to produce thousands of doses of fentanyl that were heading for the U.S. How many tons of precursors fail to be seized and end up reaching their final destination? China's regime is on a multifaceted mission. Ports offer both greater geopolitical power and trade supremacy. China has been for many years increasing its investments in the port sector of Mexico, the main trading partner of the U.S. As part of Plan Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum's government is moving forward with an expansion project in Manzanillo Port, where Chinese technologies already handle sensitive and selective areas. Companies such as the Hong Kong-based Hutchinson have a strong presence in key ports of Veracruz, Michoacan, Ensenada and Manzanillo. The Chinese Communist regime is 9,000 miles away from Mexico, yet it has taken over these important ports, while the U.S. has little to no presence. This dangerous aggregation of power needs to be reviewed and reversed. China is not merely seeking to do lucrative business and flood the U.S. market with low-quality products. It also wants more power, to improve connectivity with Mexico, increase handling of sensitive information and strengthen its nefarious Belt-and-Road Initiative. China represents a commercial, geopolitical, security and drug-trafficking threat to America. The Trump administration has put its finger on the wound, noting that China is behind the subsidy and support of fentanyl precursors coming to the U.S., and is thus responsible for taking thousands of American lives. President Trump has had extraordinary success in Panama, restoring and reinforcing American military presence, cooperation and trade. He persuaded Panama to end its participation in the Belt-and-Road Initiative and strengthen its relationship with the U.S. Something similar must be done in Mexico, considering the strategic importance of this nation. This is an unparalleled moment to promote a comprehensive strategy to regain U.S. presence and power in the Americas; as President Ronald Reagan once said, 'No area of the world should have higher priority than the place where we live, the Western Hemisphere.' Arturo McFields is an exiled journalist, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States, and a former member of the Norwegian Peace Corps. He is an alumnus of the National Defense University's Security and Defense Seminar and the Harvard Leadership course. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Mexico's port expansion is a win for China and fentanyl trafficking
Ports are power, and Mexico has announced a massive plan to invest in Manzanillo — its largest port infrastructure and the third-most important port in Latin America. The expansion represents a double threat to Mexico's relationship with the U.S., because it would increase trade with China and opens the door for greater fentanyl-related chemicals coming from Beijing. China has deployed and developed its own technology and trade across America's backyard in a highly strategic manner. It already has a strong presence and power in ports of the Caribbean (Bahamas), South America (Peru), Central America (Panama) and North America (Mexico). According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, there is a long history of alliances between drug trafficking organizations in the Mexican state of Colima, a region where the Sinaloa Cartel operates and has access to the Port of Manzanillo — strategically important infrastructure, due to its location on the central Pacific coast and its high volume of maritime traffic. The Port of Manzanillo is located just south of the rival stronghold of the Jalisco Cartel, which, according to the DEA, increases tensions between the two main Mexican cartels. Numerous trucking companies collaborate with the Sinaloa Cartel to transport illicit drugs and precursor chemicals essential for producing fentanyl and methamphetamines. The U.S. government has stated that the Chinese government is behind a powerful precursor chemical industry used by cartels to produce the drugs, which are then brought into America. In December, Mexican authorities seized a shipment containing 25 tons of drug precursors at the port of Manzanillo — a quantity sufficient to produce thousands of doses of fentanyl that were heading for the U.S. How many tons of precursors fail to be seized and end up reaching their final destination? China's regime is on a multifaceted mission. Ports offer both greater geopolitical power and trade supremacy. China has been for many years increasing its investments in the port sector of Mexico, the main trading partner of the U.S. As part of Plan Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum's government is moving forward with an expansion project in Manzanillo Port, where Chinese technologies already handle sensitive and selective areas. Companies such as the Hong Kong-based Hutchinson have a strong presence in key ports of Veracruz, Michoacan, Ensenada and Manzanillo. The Chinese Communist regime is 9,000 miles away from Mexico, yet it has taken over these important ports, while the U.S. has little to no presence. This dangerous aggregation of power needs to be reviewed and reversed. China is not merely seeking to do lucrative business and flood the U.S. market with low-quality products. It also wants more power, to improve connectivity with Mexico, increase handling of sensitive information and strengthen its nefarious Belt-and-Road Initiative. China represents a commercial, geopolitical, security and drug-trafficking threat to America. The Trump administration has put its finger on the wound, noting that China is behind the subsidy and support of fentanyl precursors coming to the U.S., and is thus responsible for taking thousands of American lives. President Trump has had extraordinary success in Panama, restoring and reinforcing American military presence, cooperation and trade. He persuaded Panama to end its participation in the Belt-and-Road Initiative and strengthen its relationship with the U.S. Something similar must be done in Mexico, considering the strategic importance of this nation. This is an unparalleled moment to promote a comprehensive strategy to regain U.S. presence and power in the Americas; as President Ronald Reagan once said, 'No area of the world should have higher priority than the place where we live, the Western Hemisphere.'
CBS News
07-03-2025
- CBS News
Son of ruthless cartel leader gets life in U.S. prison for trafficking drugs from Mexico
The son of a Mexican drug cartel boss was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison for his leadership role in one of the country's largest and most violent narcotics trafficking organizations. Rubén Oseguera, known as "El Menchito", is the son of Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, the fugitive cartel boss of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which U.S. officials have described as "one of the world's most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations." The son served as the CJNG cartel's second-in-command before his extradition to the U.S. in February 2020. The younger Oseguera faced a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison when U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sentenced him in Washington, D.C. One of the 35-year-old Oseguera's defense attorneys asked for a 40-year prison sentence, noting his client was only 14 when he was recruited to join his family's drug trafficking operation. Howell also ordered a forfeiture of over $6 billion as part of the sentence. In September, a federal jury convicted the younger Oseguera of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for U.S. importation and using a firearm in a drug conspiracy. "El Menchito led the Jalisco Cartel's efforts to use murder, kidnapping, and torture to build the Cartel into a self-described 'empire' by manufacturing fentanyl and flooding the United States with massive quantities of lethal drugs," former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in September. Ruben Oseguera ordered the killings of at least 100 people, personally shot and killed at least two people and ordered subordinates to shoot down a Mexican military helicopter, killing at least nine people in 2015, prosecutors said. The elder Oseguera is accused of fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking. He is one of the most wanted people in Mexico and the U.S., where authorities have offered a $15 million reward for his capture. His wife, Rosalinda Gonzalez, was released from prison in Mexico in February. She is believed to manage the financial operations of the cartel, which was among the Latin American drug trafficking groups designated as terrorist organizations by Washington earlier this year. In November, the son-in-law of "El Mencho" was arrested in California after U.S. officials say he faked his own death to "live a life of luxury" north of the border. President Trump has designated eight Latin American drug trafficking organizations as terrorist organizations, including the Jalisco cartel, which emerged in 2010. The Jalisco cartel is better known for producing millions of doses of deadly fentanyl and smuggling them into the U.S. disguised to look like Xanax, Percocet or oxycodone.
