United States born Juan Carlos Valencia González, 41, is the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel.

Valencia, who holds dual citizenship of US and Mexico, took control five months after his stepfather, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, was killed by Mexico’s military in Feb. 2026

The role of the Santa Ana, California native was was signaled Wednesday by U.S. intelligence as the leader of CJNG

Valencia US authorities said, ascended to the top position five months after El Mencho was shot during an operation by the Mexican military on Feb. 22

Valencia was indicted on drug trafficking and weapons charges in Washington, DC in October 2020, with a $5 million bounty for information leading to his arrest

Juan Carlos Valencia [photo], was signaled this week by U.S. intelligence as the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, succeeding the co-founder, his stepfather, Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera. The new CJNG boss was born in Santa Ana, California, 41 years ago, and holds dual US-Mexico citizenship

The US Department of State has launched a manhunt information leading to his arrest of a US citizen now said to be the top drug lord in Mexico.
Juan Carlos Valencia González, 41, is the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Mexico’s most powerful drug cartel. H Valencia, a United States citizen born in Santa Ana, California, took control after his stepfather, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, died in 2026.
Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, an ex-cop turned narco kingpin, was Mexico’s most wanted most brutal drug lord until his demise.
He was indicted several times in Washington DC before his death, most recently in April 2022, when he was charged with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances for illegal importation into the US..
With a $15 million bounty posted by the US State Department hanging over him, El Mencho managed to elude capture for years, until he was killed during a clash with the Mexican military in Tapalpa, a municipality in his home base of Jalisco five months ago in a government anti-drug operation..
His killing led to an eruption of violence across Jalisco and predictably, the intrigues of a succession battle
Valencia who was indicted on drug trafficking and weapons charges in Washington, DC in October 2020, was identified Wednesday by US intelligence as the new head of CJNG, nearly five months after “El Mencho” Oseguera, was killed by the Mexican military.
A year later US authorities offered a $5 million reward for his capture.That bounty has not been taken down.
The complexities associated with enforcing sanctions against US citizens on foreign soil – with probable lethal implications – according to law enforcement officials, requires ‘higher ups’ in Washington deciding the escalation path in pursuing apprehension of the new kingpin of the country’s most brutal cartel which operates across all of Mexico’s 32 states..

Ruben Nemesio Oseguera, aka El Mencho co-founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and led it to become Mexico’s most powerful criminal organization. His stepson, Juan Carlos Valencia, succeeded him after he was killed during an operation by the Mexican military on Feb. 22

“The US will never say that they’re the ones who coordinated an operation because it’s Mexican soil and its Mexican sovereignty.”
In the view of a former US official associated with the hunt for Valencia, the probable course of action would be for the Mexican government to use intelligence provided by the US to hunt down Valencia.
“But it would be their operation. That’s the way to get around the citizenship thing if somebody wanted to get around it.”
Juan Carlos Valencia is the son of Armando Valencia, co-founder of the now-defunct Milenio Cartel, who served prison time in Mexico and was then extradited to the US, where he was released from prison in 2020 and has not been heard of or seen since. 
His mother Rosalinda González had three children with El Mencho, including Rúben ‘El Menchito’ Oseguera, who was convicted in a DC federal court in September 2024 and sentenced to life in March 2025.
While it’s unknown when the family moved to back Mexico, Valencia rose through the cartel ranks and became one of the leaders of “Grupo Elite,” the criminal organization’s armed wing. 
Valencia’s ascendancy may have boosted by the fact that most members of the Oseguera clan capable of harnessing respect in the cartel are currently incarcerated or beset with legal troubles.
Juan Valencia has from narco pedigree on both sides of the family, with his biological father Armando Cornelio the founder of the Milenio cartel in the 1970s. His mother Rosalinda Valencia who remarried El Mencho, was part of the “Cuinis” gang, the financial branch of the Jalisco cartel.

El Mencho’s brother Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, aka Tony Montana,[photo], faked his death and jumped ship for California, In 2022 US authorities arrested him for international cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. He is facing a sentence of 15 years to life

The 41-year-old was the second in line to the cartel throne behind Audias ‘El Jardinero’ Flores, who was arrested by the Mexican navy on April 27. Unconfirmed rumors in Mexico insinuate Valencia may have set up Flores, a ploy to eliminate internal rivals..
Among the other likely contenders, El Mencho’s only biological son, Rubén Oseguera González, 36, a high-ranking member of the CJNG serving life in a US prison for various drug trafficking offenses.
El Mencho’s eldest daughter, 39-year-old Jessica Johanna Oseguera González, who also holds dual US-Mexico citizenship in 2021, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for willfully engaging in financial dealings with Mexican narcotics traffickers. However, she was released in April 2022.
The late cartel head’s brother, 67-year-old Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, aka Tony Montana, faked his death and jumped ship for California, where he was arrested in 2022, for international cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. He is facing a sentence of 15 years to life if convicted as charged.
His brother-in-law and co-founder of Los Cuinis, José González Valencia, 49, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in June 2025 for his involvement in the family’s cartel, including arranging the use of a semi-submersible to avoid detection.
His son-in-law Cristian Fernando Gutiérrez-Ochoa, 28, was arrested in California after he also faked his own death and fled Mexico. Gutiérrez-Ochoa in December 2025, was sentenced to just over 11 years in a US prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to launder CJNG’s drug proceeds.
Although Oseguera Cervantes and Rosalinda González Valencia – mother of Juan Carlos Valencia – were divorced in 2018, she was charged with money laundering and sentenced to five years in a Mexican prison in 2023. She was out on early release, in January 2025.