On July 23, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced its largest-ever round of sanctions targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), designating more than 50 individuals and entities linked to the criminal organization.
Among the most notable figures included in the sanctions was Juan Carlos Valencia González, also known as "El Pelón." In its announcement, OFAC formally identified Valencia González as the new CJNG leader following the recent death of his stepfather, cartel founder Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho."
Although El Pelón had been widely rumored to have taken over the CJNG after El Mencho's death in February, neither the U.S. nor the Mexican government had formally identified him as the head of Mexico's most powerful criminal organization until now.
According to OFAC, El Pelón leads the cartel alongside Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, also known as "El Sapo," and Audias Flores Silva, also known as "El Jardinero," who serve as his top lieutenants. Authorities have identified Mendoza Gaytán as the CJNG's plaza boss in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, while the network led by Flores Silva, who was arrested on April 27, remains one of the organization's primary operational arms.
According to the organizational chart, four individuals rank directly below El Jardinero and El Sapo and are considered among the cartel's most important figures.
Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela, also known as "La Firma," serves as the CJNG's chief of hitmen and gunmen, while Francisco Javier Gudiño Haro, also known as "La Gallina," is a key cartel operator in Puerto Vallarta, one of the organization's strongholds.
Also listed is Julio César Montero Pinzón, also known as "El Tarjetas," who oversees the cartel's fraudulent schemes, including the timeshare scams that have been reported in Puerto Vallarta. Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez, also known as "El Chorro," was identified as a senior operative tied to money laundering and drug trafficking in Colima. He is married to Jessica Johanna Oseguera, one of El Mencho's daughters.
Who is Juan Carlos Valencia González?
In March, The Wall Street Journal identified Valencia González as the new leader of the Jalisco cartel, although that had not been officially confirmed until now.
A dual U.S.-Mexican national, Valencia González was allegedly born in Santa Ana, California, in 1984 to Rosalinda González Valencia, also known as "La Jefa," and Armando Valencia Cornelio, founder of the now-defunct Milenio Cartel.
Rosalinda González Valencia belongs to a family with longstanding ties to drug trafficking in the Mexican states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Colima.
The González Valencia clan, also known as Los Cuinis, originated in Aguililla, Michoacán, and over the years has become a key part of CJNG's financial structure. Among its most prominent members are José, Gerardo and Abigael González Valencia, senior leaders accused by the United States of trafficking large quantities of cocaine into the country. In June, U.S. prosecutors sentenced José González Valencia to 30 years in prison for his role in the organization.
The González Valencia family is part of a broader network of interconnected criminal groups, including the Valencia Cornelio family, founders of the Milenio Cartel, which operated in Michoacán, Jalisco and Colima before splintering in the early 2010s.
Mexican authorities first publicly identified El Pelón in July 2020, when then-Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval named him as the founder and leader of the CJNG's Grupo Élite, a unit created in 2019 to fight the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel in Guanajuato.
In October 2020, Valencia González was formally indicted by the U.S. government on drug trafficking conspiracy and distribution charges.
A subsequent investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration concluded that he was responsible for the manufacturing, transportation and distribution of tons of narcotics, as well as organizing numerous violent crimes.
As a result, the U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest and or conviction.
As noted by Mexican news outlet Milenio, González Valencia is 41 years old and is described as standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities have not publicly identified any distinguishing features such as scars, tattoos or birthmarks.
