Erick Valencia Salazar, ex-leader of the CJNG, pleads guilty to drug trafficking
Nicknamed "El 85," he was one of the founders of the terrorist organization and later its top leader. He could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Erick Valencia Salazar at the time of his first capture in 2012
The co-founder and former leader of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG), Erick Valencia Salazar, pledged guilty to a drug trafficking-related charge four years after being captured and one year after being extradited to the United States.
Also known as "El 85," Valencia Salazar faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.
The final verdict will be made on July 31, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said through a release.
"Erick Valencia-Salazar co-founded the CJNG, one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, which shipped tons of cocaine into the United States and inflicted immeasurable damage on our country," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of DOJ's Criminal Division.
"He was also responsible for furthering the rampant violence in Mexico, at the expense of people’s lives and the safety of communities, that helped destabilize the region and allow crime to flourish," added Assistant Attorney General Tysen Duva.
Valencia Salazar also oversaw the delivery of light and heavy weaponry, such as pistols and assault rifles, to hitmen to take out members of rival CJNG organizations.
In 2012, he was captured in Mexico and later released. A decade later, he was recaptured and extradited to the United States in 2025.
Valencia Salazar founded the CJNG with other former members of the Milenio Cartel, including Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, who was recently killed by Mexican security forces in February.
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