El Mencho alone in the mountain border of Jalisco and Michoacan -if he is captured, then who will take over CJNG?

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat from La Silla Rota

Hidden in the mountains of Jalisco and Michoacan, Mencho's close circle is being neutralized little by little-what becomes of the cartel if Mencho is captured?

During the dawn of August 15, in the city of San Julian, Jalisco, there was a clash between an armed group and elements of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena). 

The shootout ended after the criminals fled the scene leaving two dead, three detainees, three wounded soldiers, and a seizure of a rocket launcher, eight Barret rifles, 47 long weapons, 30 hand guns of various caliber, and a massive amount of ammunition.

 The confrontation was the consequence of an operation, a part of the intense move to capture the leader of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, best known as “El Mencho”.  On the same day of the confrontation, the attorney general’s office or PGR, increased the reward for information leading to his capture to 30 million pesos.

The family of Mencho

Oseguera Cervantes is married to Rosalinda González Valencia, “La Jefa” a member of “Los Cuinis”, a group of her 18   or so siblings.  She is identified as the financial brain of CJNG.

Two children were born of the marriage; Rubén Oseguera González, or “Menchito”, and Jessica Johana Oseguera González.  Bothe children followed their parents into the “family business”.

Within the criminal organization, Menchito became the tight hand of his father and a financial operator of CJNG.  However, unlike his father he is in prison, after being arrested three times, two in 2014 and the final one in 2015.

At the beginning of this year, Menchito sought a transfer from the Oaxaca prison number 13 to a prison in Jalisco, Cefereso number 2, located in El Salto, but that never materialize.

Meanwhile, daughter Jessica, is the business woman of the family.  Operating companies, which according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, launders dirty money for CJNG.  Among the companies was a now failed tequila company named Onze Black and JP advertising company.

Although she has not been arrested, there is an arrest warrant for her detainment. Rosalinda was arrested in May of this year.  At the time of the arrest, federal agents had arrest warrants for both Rosalinda and Jessica.  However Jessica was not with her mother at the time of the arrest. 

The González Valencia’s: The brothers in Law of Mencho  

Gerardo

Abigael González Valencia is considered the “maximum leader of “Los Cuini” and the second in command within CJNG, and is the brother in law of Mencho, as he is the brother of Rosalinda.    

       

Under his command, his family organization became the richest in the world.  The title was given by the DEA,  after the arrest of Abigael was arrested in Puerto Vallarto, Jalisco, in March 2015.

El Cuini and La Jefa are not the only Gonzalez Valencia siblings that have been arrested.  Another five members of the family have fallen into the hands of national and foreign authorities.

Arnulfo and Ulises are the most recent captures of this family organization.  Both were captured by elements of the Federal Police last June.  Also last year Jose Luis González Valencia was arrested in Brazil.

In April 2016, Gerardo González Valencia was arrested in Uruguay accused of money laundering in international schemes.  He was even interfered in the “Panama Papers”, the journalistic investigation revealing tax havens.

Elvis

At the beginning of 2016, Elvis González Valencia was arrested in a hospital in Zapopan, Jalisco, after being admitted using false identification documents.  He had been in a shootout confrontation and sustained gunshot injuries.  However, he was released the same day as his arrest due to “lack of evidence”.

Despite the hits against the family, the González Valencia family has 10 other siblings free to operate the organization.

The Brothers-in-law and father-in-law of El Menchito

José Luís Gutiérrez Ochoa, alias “El Tolin”,  CJNG operator in Puerto Vallarta and brother in law of “Menchito” , was arrested on April 19^th in apartment number 215 in the Bay II residential development, within the El Tigre Golf Club, in Vallarta, Nayarit.

Gutiérrez Ochoa oversaw the criminal cells for the sale and distribution of drugs, in the municipalities of Tonalá and Guadalajara.

El Tolin inherited his role after his brother Héctor Salvador went missing last year.

In turn, Jose Gutierrez Valencia aka “Don Chelo”, father of Tolin and father in law of Menchito, was a cartel operator in Puerto Vallarta and leader of criminal cells before his children entered the life. He left his position after his detainment in 2010.

Chelo

The other detainees

Several others important to the criminal organization have been captured.

Such as Adrian Gómez Meza, financial operator of the cartel, arrested in April of this year in Puerto Vallarta.  Three months later he was discovered dead in his cell.

The same month, Jorge Luís Sierra Estrada, aka “El Orejon”, compadre of El Mencho, and operator of the organization in Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, was captured.  

In March of this year, Mauricio Varela Reyes, “El Manotas” head of CJNG in Puerto Vallarta, was captured along with 17 other members of CJNG.

Juan Francisco Aguilar Santana, aka “Juan Pistolas”; leader of a group of  CJNG assassins, was arrested last June.

As well as Jose Guadalupe Rodríguez, aka “El Quince”, was arrested last July.  He is accused of the disappearance of three Italian nationals in Jalisco.

 If Mencho falls, what significant people remain, that potentially could replace him?

In addition to the long list of González Valencia brothers, there is a name that stands out  in the list of possible successors of “El Mencho”; Jose Luis Mendoza Cárdenas,  aka “La Garra” and Erick Valencia Salazar.

The DEA places La Garra in the triad of leaders of CJNG, along with Mencho and Abigael González Valencia, aka “el Cuini.  Garra is not in Mexico, but in a U.S. state, serving as the chief operator of that country. 

According to the DEA, the CJNG stronghold in the United States, is California, where Mendoza Cárdenas operates.

The main drug trafficked into the U.S. is meth, which CJNG became pioneers, since they worked with the Sinaloa Cartel under the orders of Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, killed in 2010. They distribute to a lesser extent, cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

The DEA reports that the drug comes from Guadalajara, entering the U.S. through Tijuana, Juárez, and Nuevo Laredo.  The main CJNG distribution hubs are; Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta.

From what little is known about him, is that he was arrested in 2008 when CJNG was not included in the national narco scene and went by the name “Matazetas”.  He was arrested on August 1, 2008, along with 6 others charged with the atrocious murder of a family in Ciudad Guzmán, in July of that year.

He was released without explanation, during the governorship of the PAN party’s  Emilio González Márquez who is also accused of having released El Mencho in August 2012, after being arrested two hours earlier by Federal Police.

85

For his part, Erick Valencia Salazar, or “El85” is one of the founders of Matazetas, the bloodthirsty wing of the Sinaloa Cartel which eventually became CJNG.

He was arrested in 2012 by the army in Zapopan, Jalisco.  Among his crimes is the massacre of 35 bodies in Boca del Rio Veracruz, one year before his capture.

However, he was released with no explanation, but later the government said it was due to “due process violations”, leaving him to resume his criminal activities within the CJNG criminal organization.