DEA Director Terry Cole Targets High-Ranking Mexican Officials for Protecting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel

DEA Director Terry Cole announced that the agency is prioritizing the investigation of high-ranking Mexican government officials who facilitate and protect the operations of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Cole stated that while the organization maintains influence through violence and corruption, specific individuals within the Mexican government are responsible for allowing the cartel to maintain its activities. The agency's primary objective is the capture of Juan Carlos Valencia González, a key leader of the CJNG who assumed leadership after the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. The Department of State has raised the reward for Valencia González's capture to $25 million. Cole emphasized that no political connection should prevent an official from being investigated. He noted that the DEA maintains fluid communication with Mexican Secretary of Security Omar García Harfuch to coordinate bilateral joint work. This unified approach is led by the Department of War under the direction of the president in the United States, and the administration announced that the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel are designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

Sources

• La Jornada
  DEA vincula, sin dar pruebas, a funcionarios mexicanos con CJNG
• El Universal
  Terry Cole afirma que “hay funcionarios de alto nivel en México que trabajan con los cárteles”
• El Financiero
  DEA ‘revive’ la amenaza de ir por políticos mexicanos con presuntos nexos con el CJNG
• El Heraldo de México
  Director de la DEA Terry Cole advierte a "Los Chapitos" que les espera el mismo destino que a “El Chapo” y a "El Mayo"
• Reforma
  DEA: altos funcionarios mexicanos protegen al CJNG