In a significant blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), twelve traffickers have been doled out hefty prison sentences, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton. What amounts to a combined centuries' worth of incarceration, these sentencings mark the latest in a concerted effort to clamp down on the ruthless drug trade that the cartel is infamous for perpetuating, reported the U.S. Department of Justice.
Francisco Javier Rodriguez Arreola, a top supplier nicknamed "Taquito" and "Viejo," was handed the longest sentence on Tuesday—a staggering 40 years for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Notably, he was apprehended after previously being deported, and he then managed to quickly, illicitly re-enter the United States in 2021. The captured haul of nearly 200 kilograms of liquid meth, smuggled within a diesel tank of a semi-truck, was valued up to $9.9 million—a hefty profit lost to both the cartel and Mr. Rodriguez Arreola.
Communications intercepted by wiretaps were instrumental in the case, revealing in-depth logistics of how Rodriguez Arreola operated within the cartel. He engaged with his cohorts in coded language, orchestrating the cross-border movement and sale of drugs with precise attention. Beyond coordinating meth shipments, his dialogue during the pandemic displayed a calculated response to market forces—he hoped for prices to surge as COVID-19 put a clamp on supply chains.
The investigation shed light on Rodriguez Arreola's stature within the CJNG, revealing his access to the higher echelons, including direct associates of the feared cartel leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho. In response to pandemic border restrictions, he exhibited strategic fluidity, adaptively seeking out U.S. residents to transport methamphetamine, knowing full well that visa holders stood little chance to pass through with their loads, disclosed evidence during the sentencing hearing.
Others within the cartel did not escape the long arm of the law, with sentences ranging from four and a half to 40 years being doled out to the remaining defendants. Their crimes spanned from drug distribution conspiracies to money laundering. The collaborative investigative efforts that led to these convictions involved an array of agencies, underlining the broad commitment to defang criminal enterprises like the CJNG.
The haul from the overarching investigation included around 650 kilograms of methamphetamine, armaments, cash, and valuable assets. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Leal, who prosecuted the case, made no secret that these efforts are part of the broader Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program aimed to staunch the flow of illicit drugs into the United States and reduce the related criminal activity. Their mission—and these sentencings—represent a clear step forward in this ongoing battle.
