The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, or CJNG) is one of Mexico’s most powerful and notorious criminal organizations, known for its rapid expansion, extreme violence, and sophisticated operations. Emerging from the ashes of earlier cartels, CJNG has reshaped Mexico’s criminal landscape over the past decade and a half, becoming a dominant force in drug trafficking and organized crime. This blog explores the history of the CJNG, tracing its origins, rise to power, and ongoing impact on Mexico and beyond.
The cartel emerged from the collapse of the Milenio Cartel, a once-powerful group allied with the Sinaloa Cartel that operated primarily in Jalisco and Colima. The Milenio Cartel’s downfall began with the capture of its leader, Óscar Orlando Nava Valencia (“El Lobo”), in 2009 and the death of Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel, a Sinaloa Cartel capo, in 2010. These events created a power vacuum, leading to a split within the Milenio Cartel into two factions: La Resistencia, aligned briefly with Los Zetas, and the group that would become CJNG, led by El Mencho, Érick Valencia Salazar (“El 85”), and Martín Arzola Ortega (“El 53”).Initially, CJNG operated as an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel, targeting Los Zetas under the name “Matazetas” (Zeta Killers). In June 2009, the group announced its presence by leaving the bodies of three men in Cancún, Quintana Roo, with a message proclaiming their intent to fight kidnapping and extortion for a “cleaner Mexico.” This public relations stunt masked their true ambitions: to seize control of drug trafficking routes and establish dominance in Jalisco and beyond.
The CJNG quickly distinguished itself through its aggressive and militarized approach. By 2011, it had evolved from a Sinaloa Cartel enforcer group into an independent entity, breaking ties with its former allies. 
The cartel’s early years were marked by high-profile acts of violence, such as the 2011 Veracruz massacre, where CJNG’s Matazetas cell claimed responsibility for killing 35 alleged Zetas members, leaving their bodies in a public display. This brutality, combined with sophisticated propaganda via social media and narco-messages, helped CJNG project power and intimidate rivals.
By 2012, CJNG had expanded its operations from coast to coast, controlling smuggling networks and engaging in turf wars with La Resistencia, Los Zetas, and other groups. The cartel defeated La Resistencia, absorbing the Milenio Cartel’s drug trafficking infrastructure and establishing dominance in Jalisco, Nayarit, and Colima. Its rapid growth was fueled by a willingness to use extreme violence, including massacres, forced disappearances, and the discovery of mass graves in Jalisco. The group also diversified its criminal portfolio, engaging in drug trafficking (primarily cocaine, methamphetamine, and later fentanyl), extortion, fuel theft, and avocado laundering.
CJNG’s militarized structure set it apart from other cartels. The group developed a professional hitman training program and special operations units, using military-grade weapons like rocket-propelled grenades and drones to attack rivals and Mexican security forces. A notable example was the April 2015 ambush in Jalisco, where CJNG killed 15 Mexican police officers, one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in modern Mexican history. In May 2015, the cartel shot down a military helicopter, further demonstrating its firepower and audacity.
Under El Mencho’s leadership, CJNG expanded into at least 27 of Mexico’s 32 states by 2020, controlling key ports like Veracruz, Manzanillo, and Lázaro Cárdenas for drug and precursor chemical shipments. 
The cartel’s global reach extended to the Americas, Asia, and Europe, driven by U.S. demand for methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl. CJNG’s brutal recruitment tactics, including kidnapping teenagers and forcing them to kill or mutilate to prove loyalty, further cemented its fearsome reputation. Reports of “ranches” used for torture, murder, and body disposal, such as the one discovered in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, in March 2025, underscored the cartel’s horrific methods.
CJNG also targeted high-profile officials, a departure from traditional cartel behavior. In June 2020, the cartel attempted to assassinate Mexico City’s police chief, Omar García Harfuch, and killed a federal judge, Uriel Villegas Ortiz, and his wife in Colima. These attacks highlighted CJNG’s willingness to confront the Mexican state directly.
By 2020, the Mexican government considered CJNG the country’s most dangerous criminal organization, surpassing the Sinaloa Cartel in influence. The cartel capitalized on the Sinaloa Cartel’s internal conflicts, particularly the 2024 feud between the Chapitos and Mayo factions, to strengthen its position. In 2025, U.S. and Mexican intelligence confirmed CJNG’s presence in all 32 Mexican states, a historic milestone no other cartel, not even the Sinaloa Cartel at its peak, had achieved.
CJNG’s expansion was bolstered by innovative tactics, including recruiting former Colombian guerrillas to train its units in Michoacán and using improvised explosive devices, as seen in a May 2025 attack that killed six soldiers. 
The cartel’s financial diversification into fuel theft, extortion, and real estate scams generated hundreds of millions in illicit revenue. Its propaganda efforts, such as distributing toys in Veracruz during the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed to win public support while masking its violent agenda.
The U.S. government has prioritized targeting CJNG, designating it a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025 alongside the Sinaloa Cartel and others. The DEA has offered a $10 million reward for El Mencho’s capture, and U.S. authorities have pursued CJNG operatives through indictments and sanctions. Despite these efforts, El Mencho remains at large, reportedly hiding in the mountains of Jalisco, Michoacán, or Colima.
CJNG’s rise has sparked debates about Mexico’s drug war strategy and U.S. involvement. Some X posts claim the cartel was founded during the administration of former Mexican President Felipe Calderón (2006–2012), alleging complicity by officials like Genaro García Luna. Critics argue that targeting kingpins like El Mencho, without addressing the cartel’s financial and political networks, may exacerbate violence without dismantling the organization.
The CJNG’s dominance has also strained U.S.-Mexico relations, with the Trump administration threatening tariffs in 2025 to pressure Mexico to curb fentanyl trafficking and migration. The cartel’s role in the U.S. opioid crisis, particularly its trafficking of fentanyl, has made it a top priority for U.S. law enforcement.