The 10 CJNG Members Arrested in Puerto Vallarta Will Stand Trial

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat

The prosecutor’s office was recently able to ensure that 10 members of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) will stand trial on charges related to drug trafficking and firearm possession. 

The ten members of the 10 CJNG in question were arrested back on August 14, 2021 during a search warrant carried out by ministerial personnel who were accompanied by Marines (SEMAR) and members of the National Guard as part of a joint operation. 

In the initial move into the building with the search warrant, the soldiers were able to apprehend 8 CJNG members who were: Gerardo "V", María "D", María "G", Violeta "R", Valeria "G", Rosalba "O", María "C", María "V". 

In the building they found 3.2 kilos of cocaine, 2.1 kilos of phenacetin, 68.8 grams of marijuana and 9.7 kilos of methamphetamine. 

As soldiers were further search the building, they noticed two individuals who were armed on the outskirts of an adjoining property. These presumed guards of the facility, after spotting the soldiers, proceeded to point their weapons at the soldiers but both men were able to be talked into surrendering. They were detained by soldiers and later identified as Carlo "H" and José "C". 

In an initial hearing before a judge, it was ruled that the two armed men will face trial for the charges of crimes against health (drug trafficking) with the purpose of selling methamphetamine, carrying firearms and possession of magazines for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces. A judge approved the detention of the two men in Puente Grande prison while they await trial in three months. 

Meanwhile, in the initial hearing of the other 8 arrested, it was ruled that they will stand trial for crimes against health (drug trafficking) for the sale of cocaine, methamphetamine hydrochloride and marijuana. These eight will also be detained in Puente Grande prison and will have a trial within the next three months.

Cartel Landscape of the Area

These ten members belong to a particular CJNG cell that operates out of Puerto Vallarta, on the coast of Jalisco. According to Milenio newspaper this cell is thought to be involved in allegedly extorting, kidnapping and murdering people from both businesses and hotels. According to federal investigations, it is believed that they also had control of drug sales points in the tourist area. 

So who could this cell potentially be reporting to? In April 2021, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) named and sanctioned two individuals who they say helped to orchestrate contract killings in the coastal region of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. 

OFAC identified Carlos Rivera Varela, alias “La Firma,” and Francisco Gudiño Haro, alias “La Gallina” as the potential organizers of homicides for the CJNG in Puerto Vallarta. Both were linked to the high profile murder of former Jalisco governor Aristóteles Sandoval in a bar in Puerto Vallarta in December 2020.

OFAC also detailed that these men likely reported to and received direct orders from Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán, alias “El Sapo,” another CJNG leader based in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.

Sources: Official FGR Press Release, Milenio, Excelsior, La Prensa , SPD Noticias, Insight Crime Article on OFAC April Sanctions