The co-founder of the Mexico-based Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Érick Valencia Salazar, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, as announced by the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
Valencia Salazar, known as El 85, was captured by the Mexican army in the state of Jalisco 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 organization 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, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute over 5 kilograms of cocaine.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is recognized as one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexico. Recently, the cartel's members initiated a wave of violence across 20 Mexican states after news spread about the potential death of their leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho.
Last year, the U.S. designated CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The Trump administration intensified its efforts against the cartels, asserting that they pose significant threats to American safety, security, and the stability of the Western Hemisphere.
Trump also placed pressure on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to take tougher action against groups like the CJNG. Sheinbaum lauded the armed forces' commitment to pursue the country's most infamous drug lords, following the capture and reported death of El Mencho.
