U.S. offers $15M for arrest of Mexican cartel leader "El Mencho"
Trump threatens China, Mexico & Canada with tariffs
Canada’s ambassador to the United States said Sunday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was successful in getting President-elect Donald Trump and key Cabinet nominees to understand that lumping Canada in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S. is unfair. LiveNOW from FOX host Carel Lajara spoke to Dr. Ernesto Castaneda, Director of Latin American & Latino Studies at American University on the latest.
The U.S. State Department is offering a $15 million reward for information that leads to the arrest of "El Mencho," leader of the violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Mexico.
The cartel leader’s real name is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, but he’s better known as "El Mencho," according to the U.S. government. The Jalisco cartel is heavily involved in the manufacture and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamines, authorities say.
RELATED: Drug overdoses surge in some states: 5 takeaways on numbers that 'are people's lives,' expert says
Oseguera Cervantes is facing multiple drug trafficking charges in the U.S. He was most recently indicted in April 2022 for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl for importation into the United States, and use of a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes.
The initials of the drug cartel "Jalisco Nueva Generacion" (CJNG) are seen in graffiti on a wall in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco State, Mexico, on August 29, 2023. (Photo by ULISES RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)
"El Mencho" is a fugitive, officials said. The reward for his arrest has been increased from $10 million to $15 million.
Fentanyl has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths annually in the United States, and U.S. officials have tried to step up efforts to seize it as it comes over the border, often in the form of counterfeit pills made in Mexico from precursor chemicals largely imported from China.
RELATED: More than $31M of meth concealed in shipment of peppers seized at Texas-Mexico border
The reward for tips that lead to his arrest and/or conviction is offered under the Narcotics Rewards Program, which supports efforts to identify major drug traffickers.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) via text or WhatsApp at +1-213-237-9990 or by email at MENCHOTIPS@dea.gov.
The DEA is also offering $5 million rewards for information that leads to the arrest of two other CJNG leaders, Audias Flores-Silva and Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez.