Erick Valencia Salazar, a California man who co-founded one of Mexico's most powerful and violent drug cartels, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal narcotics conspiracy charge in Washington, D.C.
Background
Valencia Salazar, 49, of Santa Clara, California, formed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel—known by its Spanish acronym CJNG—with Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as "El Mencho" who was killed by the Mexican army in February. Prior to co-founding CJNG, Valencia Salazar was a member of the Milenio Cartel.
Hundreds of CJNG members reported to Valencia Salazar, whose duties included recruitment and obtaining intelligence about cartel rivals. According to the Justice Department, he used information about rival cartels to locate and kill CJNG's enemies and gain control of drug trafficking operations in specific Mexican territories.
After parting ways with El Mencho, Valencia Salazar formed his own cartel operation called La Nueva Plaza. He was arrested twice in Mexico—first in 2012 in the municipality of Zapopan near Guadalajara, and then recaptured in 2022 in Tapalpa, the same town where El Mencho was later captured and killed.
The Investigation
Valencia Salazar was indicted by a grand jury in 2018 on the conspiracy charge. Mexican authorities sent him to the United States in February 2025 as part of an initial group of 29 drug lords being transferred to U.S. custody.
The CJNG was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration last year. The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Valencia Salazar's arrest or conviction.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, in charge of the Justice Department's criminal division, said the cartel has inflicted "immeasurable damage" on the U.S. "Valencia Salazar was also responsible for furthering the rampant violence in Mexico, at the expense of people's lives and the safety of communities, that helped destabilize the region and allow crime to flourish," Duva said in a statement.
El Mencho, who had a $15 million U.S. bounty on his head, died from multiple bullet wounds during a February military raid. The operation and subsequent clashes between security forces and CJNG gunmen killed over 70 people, including 25 Mexican National Guard troops.
Key Takeaways
- Valencia Salazar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine for U.S. importation
- He faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison
- Chief Judge James Boasberg is scheduled to sentence him on July 31, 2026
- He co-founded CJNG with "El Mencho," who was killed by Mexican forces in February
- The Jalisco New Generation Cartel was designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2025
What's Next
Valencia Salazar is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief Judge James Boasberg on July 31, 2026. The case continues to highlight the U.S. government's efforts to hold cartel leaders accountable for drug trafficking operations that have caused significant violence and instability in Mexico.