The co-founder of the Mexico-based Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Érick Valencia Salazar, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced.
Valencia Salazar, known as El 85, was captured by the Mexican army in 2022 and was among a group of 29 alleged drug lords extradited to the United States in February 2025 to stand trial. The Drug Enforcement Administration stated that Valencia Salazar helped build CJNG into a ruthless organisation that uses violence as a business model - murdering for control in Mexico while flooding the United States with poison.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 31. In a statement, the DOJ revealed that Valencia Salazar had changed his earlier not guilty plea to guilty on one count of conspiracy to distribute 5kg or more of cocaine to the United States, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is among the most powerful criminal organisations in Mexico. Its members recently unleashed a wave of violence across 20 Mexican states following the reported death of its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho.
In the previous year, the CJNG was designated by US President Donald Trump as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation due to its threats to the stability and safety of the American populace. The Trump administration has intensified efforts to combat the cartels, pressing Mexican leadership to more aggressively tackle these criminal enterprises. The capture and death of El Mencho were seen as milestones in the fight against Mexico's leading drug lords.
Valencia Salazar, known as El 85, was captured by the Mexican army in 2022 and was among a group of 29 alleged drug lords extradited to the United States in February 2025 to stand trial. The Drug Enforcement Administration stated that Valencia Salazar helped build CJNG into a ruthless organisation that uses violence as a business model - murdering for control in Mexico while flooding the United States with poison.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 31. In a statement, the DOJ revealed that Valencia Salazar had changed his earlier not guilty plea to guilty on one count of conspiracy to distribute 5kg or more of cocaine to the United States, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is among the most powerful criminal organisations in Mexico. Its members recently unleashed a wave of violence across 20 Mexican states following the reported death of its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho.
In the previous year, the CJNG was designated by US President Donald Trump as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation due to its threats to the stability and safety of the American populace. The Trump administration has intensified efforts to combat the cartels, pressing Mexican leadership to more aggressively tackle these criminal enterprises. The capture and death of El Mencho were seen as milestones in the fight against Mexico's leading drug lords.
