LatinNews Daily - 13 April 2026

Mexico: On 7 April Érick Valencia Salazar, known as ‘El 85’, an alleged founding member of Mexican drug cartel Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), pleaded guilty to federal drugs charges in a US court. Valencia Salazar was one of the original top operators of the CJNG, which was led by Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Rubén Oseguera Cervantes until his death at the hands of Mexican security forces in February this year. Prior to joining the CJNG, Valencia Salazar was a member of the Milenio drug trafficking organisation (DTO). During his time with the Milenio DTO, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) states Valencia Salazar distributed weapons including AK-47 and AR-15 rifles to the group’s gunmen, while for the CJNG he recruited new members, “conspired to send thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the United States”, and “used information about rival cartels to locate and kill CJNG’s enemies and gain control of all drug trafficking operations in particular territories in Mexico”. He was arrested by Mexican security forces in September 2022 and extradited to the US as part of a mass prisoner transfer in February last year. Valencia Salazar pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine for unlawful importation into the US. He is scheduled to be sentenced on 31 July and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

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