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U.S. offers $25 million reward targeting US citizen who reportedly leads Mexico's most powerful cartel
PBS • • nation
Key Points:
- The U.S. government increased its reward for information leading to the capture of Juan Carlos González, alias "Pelón," from $5 million to $25 million, targeting the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
- The CJNG, designated as a foreign terrorist organization, is Mexico's largest cartel with extensive operations across 21 states and internationally, involved in drug trafficking and other illicit activities.
- The reward hike and unsealed charges against five high-ranking cartel leaders aim to dismantle CJNG's leadership amid intensified U.S. efforts under the Trump administration to pressure Mexico and Latin America on security issues.
- The U.S. recently imposed sanctions on 50 individuals and entities linked to CJNG, including González, freezing assets and blocking financial transactions to disrupt the cartel's operations.
- Following the death of CJNG leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho") in a Mexican military operation supported by U.S. intelligence, González, his stepson and a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen, is reported to have assumed control of the cartel.
