THE BROWNSVILLE OBSERVER : 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗝𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗟 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗢𝗡 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗦𝗢𝗜𝗟~𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗘𝗔, 𝗩𝗜𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦, 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚

Article compiled from Borderland Beat and other sources

The growing presence and influence of Mexican drug cartels within the United States have become an increasingly urgent concern for American law enforcement and policymakers. Among the most powerful and violent of these criminal organizations is the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), or Jalisco New Generation Cartel, whose activities have demonstrated both operational reach and ruthless tactics that transcend national borders.

This transnational threat was outlined in stark terms by Matthew W. Allen, Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Division of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing held in Washington, D.C., in 2025. The session, entitled “The Thin Blue Line Protecting America from the Cartels,” focused on the dangers posed by Mexican criminal organizations to U.S. law enforcement personnel and national security.

Rubén Oseguera González, "El Menchito,"center

Allen stated unequivocally, “The message that Mexican drug cartels want to send to the United States is clear: ‘We are here. We are among you.’” According to his testimony, CJNG members were actively surveilling DEA agents and federal witnesses during the prosecution of Rubén Oseguera González, known as “El Menchito,” the son of CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho.”

Allen’s account revealed that cartel operatives have repeatedly monitored DEA personnel both in Mexico and within the United States. These incidents, he testified, are “frequent,” and agents often become aware that they are being followed while executing search or arrest warrants. When such surveillance is detected, local law enforcement is called to intervene and investigate. Allen emphasized that this environment of persistent threat is part of the daily reality for DEA officers, stating, “I’ve personally lost several friends on this job.”

Iván Morales Corrales and wife, both executed 5/25

Evidence presented during the hearing included cases of retribution against informants and their families, illustrating the cartels’ capacity for transnational violence. Notably, the CJNG allegedly executed a key witness, Iván Morales Corrales—a decorated former Mexican federal police officer—and his wife in May 2025. Morales had survived a 2015 helicopter crash during an attempted raid on “El Mencho,” an event directly tied to charges against Oseguera González. After traveling to the United States to testify against “El Menchito,” Morales and his wife were ambushed and killed near Mexico City, on the tenth anniversary of the helicopter incident. The assailants remain at large.

In a separate case, the daughter of another cooperating witness was murdered in Mexico shortly after Oseguera González was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2025 by the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The sentencing also included an order for the forfeiture of over $6 billion in drug trafficking proceeds. These acts of retaliation, Allen argued, underscore the cartels’ willingness and ability to cross borders and target individuals involved in judicial proceedings.

Several high-profile figures from rival Mexican criminal organizations testified against “El Menchito,” including Oscar “El Lobo” Nava Valencia of the Milenio Cartel, Elpidio “El Pilo” Mojarro Ramírez, José Antonio “El Jaguar” Torres Marrufo of the Sinaloa/Juárez factions, and Mario “El Pelón” Ramírez Treviño, a former Gulf Cartel leader. Ramírez Treviño, who died in U.S. federal custody in March 2025 of natural causes, described in prior testimony how Oseguera González had sought his assistance in acquiring military-grade weapons and conducting cocaine transactions on behalf of the CJNG.

Key witness, Carlos Almada Castrillo, executed by CJNG

Other individuals connected to the case met violent ends. Carlos Almada Castrillo, once a close associate of “El Menchito,” was found hanged in his cell in 2020 while awaiting extradition to the United States. Mexican Judge Uriel Villegas Ortiz, who had ruled on matters related to Oseguera González's detention, was assassinated alongside his wife later that year.

The prosecution also relied on testimony from a jailhouse informant who had been incarcerated alongside Oseguera González. According to court records, this individual reported overhearing incriminating conversations during their time in custody.

The hearing also highlighted the CJNG’s entrenchment in the United States, including among the families of senior cartel leaders. DEA agents discovered that Cristian Fernando Gutiérrez, alias “El Guacho” and son-in-law of “El Mencho,” had been living under a false identity in a gated community in Riverside, California—remarkably close to the city’s Chief of Police. Following a raid, authorities seized more than $2.25 million in luxury goods and cash from the residence, including designer handbags, Rolex watches, and $1 million in currency.

“El Guacho” had previously faked his death in Mexico after being implicated in the 2021 abduction of two Mexican marines. The kidnappings were allegedly orchestrated by the CJNG in retaliation for the arrest of Rosalinda González Valencia, wife of “El Mencho.” After fleeing to the United States, Gutiérrez assumed a life of apparent luxury until his arrest in late 2024. He later entered into a plea agreement with U.S. authorities, admitting to money laundering charges. His spouse, Laisha Oseguera González, daughter of “El Mencho,” has not been charged and is believed to operate a small café in Perris, California.

The Riverside property linked to the case was allegedly purchased through a tequila company based in Mexico—Pasión Azul—which U.S. authorities believe has connections to CJNG operations. The company has denied ties to the cartel through its legal representative, Victor Beltrán García, a lawyer previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for representing CJNG figures, including “El Menchito.”