Treasury Takes Largest Action Ever Targeting Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion

Sanctions Target CJNG’s Leadership, Drug Trafficking Cells, and Illicit Finance Networks Spread Across Mexico

WASHINGTON—Today, in a sweeping action to confront narcoterrorism, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned over 50 Mexican individuals and entities linked to the terrorist group Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).  Today’s action disrupts a wide range of criminal activities benefitting CJNG across multiple Mexican states.  Among today’s targets is dual Mexican-U.S. national Juan Carlos Gonzalez (a.k.a. “Pelon”), who became the new leader of the cartel following the recent death of his stepfather, CJNG founder Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. “El Mencho.”  

“President Trump has made clear that terrorist cartels will be dismantled,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Today's action strikes Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion's leadership, financiers, and criminal networks, denying the cartel the resources it uses to traffic fentanyl, terrorize communities, and threaten American lives.”

CJNG, which is based in Mexico but active globally, is a violent cartel and Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) that is responsible for a significant proportion of fentanyl and other deadly drugs trafficked into the United States.  CJNG employs sophisticated money laundering methodologies and alternative revenue streams, such as fuel theft and smuggling and timeshare fraud.  Today’s action was taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059, which targets the international proliferation of illicit drugs and their means of production, and pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, which targets terrorists and their supporters. 

In keeping with President Trump’s pledge to eliminate cartels, OFAC has prioritized targeting these and other criminal groups that threaten the welfare of Americans in close coordination with the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), taking nearly 30 actions against 250 individuals and entities.  OFAC uses a network-based approach to simultaneously disrupt as many different facets of the cartels as possible, from their leadership and key organizational nodes to facilitators and enablers, such as corrupt officials, complicit family members, and ostensibly legitimate front persons.

Today’s action reflects the significance of multiple coordinated HSTF investigations involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other agencies.  This unified, whole-of-government approach ensures operational coordination to maximize the impact against transnational criminal networks.  Additionally, OFAC coordinated this action with the Government of Mexico’s financial intelligence unit, the Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera. 

CJNG HISTORY

Since its formation about 15 years ago, CJNG has become one of the most powerful cartels in the world, achieving this status through violence and corruption. CJNG has intimidated other criminal groups and innocent civilians through horrific attacks, including assassinations of government officials and rivals, while also engaging in widespread bribery of Mexican officials.  These acts are perpetrated in furtherance of CJNG’s pursuit of illicit proceeds generated from drug trafficking and other criminal activities, such as fuel theft and timeshare fraud.  

On April 8, 2015, OFAC designated CJNG and its founder—El Mencho—pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) for playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking; on December 15, 2021, OFAC also designated CJNG and El Mencho pursuant to E.O. 14059.  On February 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.  On June 18, 2025, OFAC designated El Mencho pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended.

Since April 2015, OFAC has designated over 250 individuals and entities linked to CJNG.  The individuals targeted in OFAC’s designation actions against CJNG have included senior cartel operatives, complicit family members, front persons, attorneys, accountants, and corrupt officials.  The entities targeted have included resorts, shopping centers, real estate companies, restaurants, agricultural companies, and shell companies. 

CURRENT CJNG LEADERSHIP

Juan Carlos Gonzalez (a.k.a. “Pelon”) is the new leader of CJNG.  A longtime cartel member, Pelon rose to this position following the death of his stepfather, El Mencho, who was killed during a Mexican government operation in February 2026.  Pelon, who is also known as “Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez,” is charged in a U.S. federal drug trafficking indictment, which was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.  The U.S. State Department, pursuant to its Narcotics Reward Program, is offering up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.  Prior to his current position, Pelon led an armed wing of CJNG that engaged in significant violence. 

OFAC has previously designated other individuals who collectively form CJNG’s leadership pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended.  On June 18, 2025, OFAC re-designated Audias Flores Silva (a.k.a. “Jardinero”), Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan (a.k.a. “El Sapo”), and Julio Alberto Castillo Rodriguez.  Additionally, on August 13, 2025, OFAC re-designated Julio Cesar Montero Pinzon (a.k.a. “El Tarjetas”), Carlos Andres Rivera Varela (a.k.a. “La Firma”), and Francisco Javier Gudino Haro (a.k.a. “La Gallina”). 

FAMILY-FOCUSED CJNG NETWORKS 

Today’s action highlights how leaders and high-level members of Mexican cartels frequently entrust their assets to close family members and trusted associates.  These individuals often maintain leadership roles in companies within their network, in an effort to reduce the risk that the subject companies and those involved will themselves become the subject of future scrutiny. 

Network of OFAC-Designated Jardinero 

Mexican authorities arrested Jardinero on April 27, 2026; however, his network survives and continues to operate.  In recent years, Jardinero has maintained control of substantial territory within the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacan, Guerrero, and Zacatecas.  He has amassed a vast network of subordinates including complicit family members, plaza bosses, and financial and logistical associates in various territories.  One of the most important associates of Jardinero is CJNG member Cesar Alejandro Villasenor Olivares (a.k.a. “El Guero Conta”), who was also arrested by Mexican authorities in April 2026. El Guero Conta is responsible for overseeing Jardinero’s network—composed of front companies and individuals, and family members—designed to conceal Jardinero’s interest in assets initially obtained with illicit proceeds. 

Jardinero maintains control of a gas station company, Petrocoda S.A. de C.V., through his cousin Areli Isis Medina Flores (Medina Flores) and subordinate Gabriel Serrano Magana. Jardinero’s wife Karely Lizbeth Ramirez Banales (Ramirez Banales) owns a beverage store, El Almacen Licoreria.  Ramirez Banales and Medina Flores own a wholesale clothing company, Stella Servicios Comerciales Y Empresariales S.A. de C.V.  Jose Guadalupe Ruiz Banuelos (a.k.a. “Venado”) is a trusted pilot of Jardinero, who has utilized clandestine landing strips across Nayarit. 

Plaza bosses subordinate to Jardinero include Jose Octaviano Garcia Martinez (Garcia Martinez), Cuauhtemoc Rivera Zepeda, and Uriel Hernandez Morales.  Garcia Martinez is CJNG plaza boss for Florencia, Zacatecas.  These plaza bosses produce large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in clandestine laboratories in Jalisco and Zacatecas, and operate extensive distribution networks transporting narcotics to U.S. cities. 

Additional CJNG associates of Jardinero designated today include:

• Joana Dominguez Aguilera, CJNG member;
• Roberto Jimenez Arias (Jimenez), CJNG member;
• Martha Alicia Alvarado Rodriguez (Alvarado), CJNG member and wife of Jimenez;
• Efrain Corona Pimentel, CJNG member;
• Angel Gabriel Lopez Larios, CJNG member;
• Jose Jesus Gutierrez Valdez (Gutierrez Valdez), oversees several methamphetamine laboratories in Zacatecas; and
• Fidel Damian Moreno Lopez, CJNG member. 

Several of these individuals also operate businesses based in Mexico:  Jimenez operates a beverage crop production company, Casa Tequilera El Origen Del Tequila S.A. de C.V., and a construction company, Hurrari Kash S.A. Promotora de Inversion de C.V.; Alvarado and Jimenez jointly control a crop production company, Agropecuaria Amateq Del Valle S.A. de C.V.; and Gutierrez Valdez controls a furniture company, Productores VaguS.A. de C.V.

Network of CJNG Senior Member, “El Cachas”

Mexico-based Gerardo Botello Rozalez (a.k.a. “El Cachas”) is a senior member of CJNG with long-standing ties to the organization.  El Cachas was arrested in 2018 by the Government of Mexico when he was serving as the bodyguard of the wife of CJNG’s long-standing leader.  While previously in Mexican custody, he was publicly linked to the sexual abuse of female prison guards.  Prior to, during, and following his imprisonment in 2018 in Jalisco, Mexico, El Cachas oversaw CJNG operations across various Mexican territories.  Most recently, El Cachas was linked to the Izaguirre Ranch training center, where CJNG recruited members to their criminal organization through heinous and coercive means.  El Cachas’ criminal activities have also included huachicol, or fuel theft.  In recent years, El Cachas and his nephews, Gustavo Botello Rodriguez (Gustavo Botello) and Wiliams Geovanni Botello Rodriguez (Wiliams Botello), have operated a CJNG cell.  In September 2025, Gustavo Botello was arrested by the Government of Mexico on drug trafficking charges. 

El Cachas is a registered owner of Bubux Baby Shoes S.A. de C.V. (Bubux), which purports to sell baby shoes.  El Cachas’ cousin, Miguel Angel Ayala Botello (Miguel Botello), has a leadership role in Bubux and additional entities linked to family members of El Cachas.  During a period in which El Cachas oversaw CJNG operations in the Mexican state of Michoacan, Miguel Botello was the Director of the Public Safety Directorate of Tepalcatepec, Michoacan.  Furthermore, Gustavo Botello and Wiliams Botello, who as noted above are both CJNG affiliates and family members of El Cachas, became municipal police officers in Tepalcatepec under Miguel Botello.

The following companies are all linked to El Cachas or his family members:  Green Agropacific S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V. (Green Agropacific) is a Nayarit, Mexico-based beverage crop company; Corporativo de Seguridad Privada Alfa y Gama S.A. de C.V. is a Michoacan- and Jalisco-based private security company that maintains a state-level license to carry firearms; and, Rancho San Miguel Los Tres Hermanos S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V. (Rancho San Miguel) is a Jalisco-based tequila and agave company. 

In addition, OFAC is also designating El Cachas’s most recent spouse, Liliana Cisneros Tapia, and sons—Jesus David Botello Ortiz, Edgar Gerardo Botello Ortiz, and Ricardo Botello Ortiz—for their roles in the aforementioned corporate entities.  Liliana Cisneros Tapia is the Secretary of Green Agropacific’s oversight body, and Jesus David Botello Ortiz and Edgar Gerardo Botello Ortiz serve as the Secretary and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Green Agropacific, respectively. These four individuals are each partial owners of Green Agropacific.  In addition, Ricardo Botello Ortiz is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Rancho San Miguel.

CJNG FENTANYL TRAFFICKING AND FUEL THEFT

Just as CJNG itself is engaged in various criminal activities, so are its members.  Some individuals are simultaneously engaged in fentanyl trafficking activities as well as huachicol—the theft and/or smuggling of fuel and crude oil.  As Treasury has previously highlighted through multiple sanctions actions—most recently on June 30, 2026—CJNG is not only a drug trafficking cartel, but also engages in rampant fuel theft and smuggling schemes that cost Mexican authorities billions of dollars in lost revenue. 

Mexico-based CJNG operative Feliciano Ledezma Ramirez (a.k.a. “Chano Limones”) traffics fentanyl to the United States, and has also been involved in significant violence in the Nuevo Italia and Mugica areas of Michoacan.  Additionally, Alma Laura Mena Alvarado(Mena) and her husband Jose Mora Leon (Mora) own a logistics company engaged in diverting liquid fentanyl to CJNG.  Mena is also engaged in extracting and stealing gasoline in an area controlled by CJNG.  Mena and Mora also control two companies based in Mexico:  Strong Energy S.A. de C.V., a petroleum and natural gas extraction company, and Transic Logistic S.A. de C.V., a logistics company. 

CJNG COCAINE TRAFFICKERS AND ENFORCERS

Treasury is also targeting a CJNG-linked cocaine trafficking network led by twin brothers from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico:  Marcial Apolinar Diaz Robles and Pedro Marcial Diaz Robles.  The Diaz Robles twins have a very close relationship with several members of CJNG’s inner circle and have used these connections to facilitate large shipments of cocaine and other narcotics from South America to Mexico, and eventually onward to the United States and Europe.  Jorge Zepeda Rodriguez (Zepeda), a Guadalajara-based businessman, money launderer, and cocaine broker, was heavily involved in the Diaz Robles twins’ drug trafficking operations.  Zepeda paid the Diaz Robles twins millions of dollars for access and connections to various ports in Mexico to further his own drug trafficking interests, and he has worked with the twins to smuggle cocaine to the United States and globally.

Mexico-based senior CJNG narcotics traffickers and enforcement members include Rodolfo Alejandro Loza Garcia (a.k.a. “El 26”), who is engaged in significant violence on behalf of CJNG in northern Jalisco, and Francisco Noe Gonzalez Ramirez (a.k.a. “El F1”), a high-ranking CJNG member engaged in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, and violence in Zacatecas. 

THIRD-PARTY MONEY LAUNDERING NETWORK

As one of the world’s largest drug cartels, CJNG requires a robust network of financiers, money brokers, and professional money launderers to manage, process, and return the dirty funds from the cartel’s various revenue streams to its leadership.  One such network of professional cartel money launderers is based in the CJNG-heartland of Zapopan and Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

This network is comprised of the following individuals:  Salvador Israel Rodriguez Flores, Jorge Villa Sanchez, Adolfo Gabriel Medina Chavira, Jorge Fernando Cruz Cabrera, Julio Cesar Castellanos Ceja, Luis Mario Mendoza Garcia, and Hugo Alejandro Sanchez Tamayo.  Together, these individuals coordinated the collection of bulk cash narcotics proceeds from multiple cities in the United States, transferred the funds back to Mexico via various financial instruments, and ultimately returned the money to its cartel owners—lining the cartel’s coffers and enriching themselves by taking a percentage of the drug proceeds as a fee in the process.  By using this scheme, this network was able to launder tens of millions of dollars per year since at least 2023.

The legal bases for sanctions imposed on the aforementioned individuals and entities are listed below:

OFAC designated the following individuals pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, CJNG:

• Juan Carlos Gonzalez (a.k.a. “Pelon”)
• Cesar Alejandro Villasenor Olivares (a.k.a. “El Guero Conta”)
• Gabriel Serrano Magana
• Jose Octaviano Garcia Martinez 
• Cuauhtemoc Rivera Zepeda 
• Uriel Hernandez Morales 
• Joana Dominguez Aguilera 
• Roberto Jimenez Arias 
• Martha Alicia Alvarado Rodriguez 
• Efrain Corona Pimentel 
• Angel Gabriel Lopez Larios 
• Jose Jesus Gutierrez Valdez 
• Fidel Damian Moreno Lopez 
• Gerardo Botello Rozalez (a.k.a. “El Cachas”)
• Gustavo Botello Rodriguez
• Wiliams Geovanni Botello Rodriguez
• Feliciano Ledezma Ramirez (a.k.a. “Chano Limones”)
• Alma Laura Mena Alvarado
• Rodolfo Alejandro Loza Garcia (a.k.a. “El 26”)
• Francisco Noe Gonzalez Ramirez (a.k.a. “El F1”)
• Marcial Apolinar Diaz Robles 
• Pedro Marcial Diaz Robles

OFAC designated the following individuals pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, CJNG.  These individuals are also being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, CJNG:

• Jose Mora Leon
• Salvador Israel Rodriguez Flores
• Jorge Villa Sanchez
• Adolfo Gabriel Medina Chavira
• Jorge Fernando Cruz Cabrera
• Julio Cesar Castellanos Ceja
• Luis Mario Mendoza Garcia
• Hugo Alejandro Sanchez Tamayo

OFAC designated Karely Lizbeth Ramirez Banales, and Areli Isis Medina Flores pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Audias Flores Silva. 

OFAC designated Jose Guadalupe Ruiz Banuelos pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, Audias Flores Silva.  Ruiz is also being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Audias Flores Silva.

OFAC designated Mexico-based gas company, Petrocoda S.A. de C.V. pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Audias Flores Silva. 

OFAC designated Mexico-based wholesale clothing company, Stella Servicios Comerciales Y Empresariales S.A. de C.V. pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Medina Flores and Ramirez Banales. 

OFAC designated Mexico-based beverage store, El Almacen Licoreria pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Ramirez Banales. 

OFAC designated Mexico-based beverage crop production company, Casa Tequilera El Origen Del Tequila S.A. de C.V., and construction company, Hurrari Kash S.A. Promotorade Inversion de C.V. pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Jimenez. 

OFAC designated Mexico-based crop production company, Agropecuaria Amateq Del Valle S.A. de C.V. pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Jimenez and Alvarado. 

OFAC designated Mexico-based wood company, Productores Vagu S.A. de C.V. pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Gutierrez Valdez. 

OFAC designated Strong Energy S.A. de C.V. and Transic Logistic S.A. de C.V.pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Mena and Mora. 

OFAC designated Mundo Fit Suplementos S.A. de C.V. and Medin Products pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Adolfo Gabriel Medina Chavira.

OFAC designated Jorge Zepeda Rodriguez pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, Marcial Apolinar Diaz Robles and Pedro Marcial Diaz Robles.  Zepeda is also being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Marcial Apolinar Diaz Robles and Pedro Marcial Diaz Robles.

OFAC designated Optic Private Transportation S.A. de C.V. pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Jorge Zepeda Rodriguez.

OFAC designated Miguel Botello pursuant to E.O. 14059 for having provided, or attempted to provide, financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, Gerardo Botello Rozalez.  Miguel Botello is also being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Gerardo Botello Rozalez.

OFAC designated Liliana Cisneros Tapia, Edgar Gerardo Botello Ortiz, and Jesus David Botello Ortiz pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Green Agropacific S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V.

OFAC designated Ricardo Botello Ortiz pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Rancho San Miguel Los Tres Hermanos S.P.R. de R.L. de C.V. 

OFAC designated Bubux pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Gerardo Botello Rozalez. 

OFAC designated Green Agropacific; Corporativo de Seguridad Privada Alfa y Gama S.A. de C.V.; and Rancho San Miguel pursuant to E.O. 14059 and E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Miguel Angel Ayala Botello.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.  In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons. 

Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons.  OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis.  OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. Non-U.S. persons are also prohibited from causing or conspiring to cause U.S. persons to wittingly or unwittingly violate U.S. sanctions, as well as engaging in conduct that evades U.S. sanctions. Individuals located in the U.S. or abroad who provide information about sanctions violations to Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s whistleblower incentive program may be eligible for awards if the information they provide leads to a successful enforcement action that results in monetary penalties exceeding $1,000,000.

Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions.  OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law.  The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.  For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC’s guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List.

Click here for more information on the persons designated today.

Click here for a chart of CJNG Leadership.

Click here for a chart of CJNG-linked networks. 

###