Authorities dismantle Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s ‘office’ in Spain

Spanish Police on Tuesday announced the dismantling of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s (CJNG) “office” in Spain. The CJNG is one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States. The announcement coincides with a drug trafficking operation that resulted in 20 arrests, including two high-priority DEA targets and members of the Italian Camorra involved in international distribution.

The CJNG was founded just over a decade ago. However, it has grown rapidly because it uses a franchise model that allows different groups to operate under its command in Mexico, enabling it to wrest control from other organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel. It is known for its extreme violence and brutal tactics. The CJNG has been involved in numerous violent clashes and is responsible for a very high number of homicides, as well as defying government authority. The White House has designated it as a terrorist organization and has offered substantial rewards for the capture of its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho.”

Those arrested were allegedly involved in smuggling large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine hidden inside heavy industrial machinery. The drugs traveled from South America and were then distributed throughout Spain and other European countries. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Oyamel,” was led by investigators from the Spanish National Court and the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the police investigation, the organization had “reactivated its operational structure” due to the arrival of a new shipment and had incorporated new Mexican members sent specifically by the CJNG. In total, agents seized 1,870 kilos of cocaine, 375 kilos of amphetamine, three handguns, and 15 vehicles, in addition to €275,000 ($320,000) in cash.

The investigation began earlier this year when agents discovered that cocaine was being smuggled inside heavy industrial machinery and that a Spanish businessman, allegedly working for the cartel, was being used for this purpose. Once the drugs arrived in Spain, they were stored at properties located in the mountains near Madrid and in Ávila.

The drugs were distributed to Valencia and Bilbao in vehicles with hidden compartments, while for international transport the organization had other properties in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo), where the industrial machinery with the drugs concealed inside was received and sent in the same way to Italy.

The first shipment of cocaine to Italy was detected in September through a boss of the Neapolitan camorra from the Amato-Pagano clan.

The investigators divided the operation into two phases. In the first, they arrested the core members of the organization, and in the second, they focused on key distribution points in Valencia and the Basque Country. Of the 20 suspects arrested, 15 have been remanded in custody.

At the time of the arrests, the agents, in coordination with the authorities of the Netherlands, intercepted a shipment hidden in industrial machinery that was traveling in a maritime container from Costa Rica.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is believed to have carried out a 2020 attack against Omar García Harfuch, Claudia Sheinbaum’s security czar who was Mexico City’s police chief at the time. Hitmen fired more than 400 shots, killing one of his bodyguards.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition