A California man who co-founded a notorious Mexican drug cartel has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in the U.S.
Erick Valencia-Salazar, also known as "El 85," 49, co-founded the Mexico-based drug trafficking organization, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), according to the Justice Department.
Valencia-Salazar on Wednesday pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He faces 10 years to life in prison as a result of the charges.
"Erick Valencia-Salazar co-founded the CJNG, one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, which shipped tons of cocaine into the United States and inflicted immeasurable damage on our country," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Valencia-Salazar was also responsible for furthering the rampant violence in Mexico, at the expense of people's lives and the safety of communities.
The man formed the CJNG along with Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as "El Mencho," CBS News noted. "El Mencho" was killed by the Mexican army in February.
The Justice Department detailed that, before forming the CJNG, Valencia-Salazar was a member of the Milenio Cartel, another Mexico-based drug trafficking organization. There, he regularly distributed pistols and rifles, including AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, to cartel gunmen for use in clashes with rival organizations.
"Erick Valencia-Salazar helped build CJNG into a ruthless organization that uses violence as a business model — murdering for control in Mexico while flooding the United States with poison," said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. "CJNG is a designated terrorist organization. They do not just traffic deadly drugs — including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine — they spread violence, fear, and instability on both sides of the border."
