Washington convicted a Chinese citizen of drug trafficking and ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel
The defendant was part of a network that smuggled more than 990 pounds of cocaine into the United States and coordinated the laundering of more than $22 million derived from drug trafficking.
U.S. Department of Justice
A federal court sentenced Wenshen Xu, a 52-year-old Chinese citizen, to 12 years in prison for participating in international drug trafficking operations, money laundering and providing material support to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a Mexican criminal organization designated as a terrorist group by Washington.
The sentence, handed down on Oct. 29, also mandates five years of supervised release and an order to pay $22 million, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
A drug trafficking network operating out of Latin America
According to court documents, Xu, who resided in Honduras, used a network of contacts and transportation in Latin America to facilitate the entry of cocaine into the country. The network included airstrips, airports, armored vehicles, couriers and collaborators in various countries.
Authorities determined that, from November 2023 until his arrest in July 2025, Xu and his accomplices smuggled more than 990 pounds of cocaine into the United States and coordinated the laundering of more than $22 million derived from the sale of cocaine and fentanyl.
To conceal the origin and movement of the money, the organization used cryptocurrencies, commercial transactions designed to conceal illicit funds and encrypted communication platforms.
Xu was arrested in Guatemala on July 17, 2025, at the request of the United States, after agreeing with others to transport a shipment of cocaine from Cali, Colombia, for an individual who claimed to represent the CJNG. He was subsequently extradited to the United States on Jan. 30, 2026.
Washington is stepping up its crackdown on the cartels
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division noted that the defendant had conspired to facilitate the entry of illegal drugs into the United States and the outflow of tens of millions of dollars derived from criminal activities.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in collaboration with the police forces of Colombia and Guatemala, as well as other U.S. federal agencies.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force, established by Executive Order 14159, through which the Trump administration seeks to combat cartels, transnational criminal organizations and their financing networks.
The conviction comes amid Washington's crackdown on drug trafficking organizations, including the CJNG, which the United States designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 2025.
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