The Farfans and other defendants mulling over plea offers took it as a threat if they mentioned any cartel connections. He got his first glimpse of CJNGs success when he was overseeing drug cases in Los Angeles, a key cartel hub. his anguished parents asked. March 30, 2022 MEXICO Grisly videos have emerged showing CJNG cartel members beheading rival narcos working under commands from La Vaca. Who is La Vaca? He knew he faced deportation back within reach of the cartels. Cartel members fired hundreds of rounds and hurled grenades and jugs of gasoline. CJNG Pigs Kill Child Mistaking Her for the Child of a Rival Narco. While some moves targeted the cartels finances, others were more personal. "If he was, I didnt charge him enough.". Two years earlier, they stumbled onto a drug business at the same auto repair shop allegedly run by suspect Jose Cruz Gutierrez Bustos. He shares intel with the DEA,but not his own people. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Farfan pleaded guilty in November 2021 to trafficking drugs and illegally reentering the U.S. and was the last of 23 defendants in the case to admit guilt. He reached 'kingpin' status by selling Mexican cartel-supplied drugs. U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon said he was troubled by Farfan's repeated drug crimes dating back at least to 1999. Farfan's drug ring also sent drugs to Gresham, east of Portland, Hood River, a port on the Columbia River an hour northeast of Portland, and north into Tacoma, Washington. Hearing the word "cartel" uttered in open court instantly rattled Eduardo. The answer, The Courier Journal found, kept pointing to CJNG. The U.S government has crippled dozens ofbusinessesthat supported CJNGandsentElMenchosson and chief financial backer to prison, along with members of his inner circle. CJNG's Kentucky strategy has been repeated in town after town across America, in places better known for cheese, cows and corn. Cannibalism in Mexico! El Menchos drug empire "is putting poison on the streets of the U.S.," said Chris Evans, who runs the DEAs day-to-day global operations. "If an agent saw him, we couldnt say, 'Hey, were gonna grab El Mencho right now, take him and put him into custody.' "If one wants to gain power, control and territory, it's a must that they conquer non-alliance cartels and gain the assistance of police and government entities to assist them in their global success.". In disturbing footage, thugs smash a man's face into a truck before kicking and punching him on the floor. All the CJNG nutthuggers here's your bad ass cartel terrorizing 10 year kids with dynamite. Mexican Cartel Members Behead Two Men. Ciro Macias Martinez was praised by his supervisor and fellow farmhands alike for his punctuality, work ethicand soothing manner with horses at the breeding and training farm in the heart of Kentucky. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is targeting and killing police officers at their homes in Guanajuato, Mexico's most violent state and the most dangerous for police. There's a lot of family back in Michoacn.". All rights reserved. CJNG members have followed relatives or friends who left Mexico for the U.S. to find jobs. In Illinois,the cartel teamed with Vice Lordsgang members to grow a drug network that stretched from Southern California through the Midwest and into Nashville and Paducah, Kentuckyknown for its riverwalk murals and the National QuiltMuseum. In a desperate bid to cling to its remaining territory, the group has joined forces with a former rival: a fast-growing cartel called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Sam Upshaw Jr., Louisville Courier Journal. Many are committed by cartels. The couple's daughter, age 11, also was home. If someone you love dies from an overdose tonight, he may very well be to blame. On the run and out of sight, El Mencho is described by some veteran agents as a ghost. From there, Victor Farfan and his inner circle supplied drug trafficker John Armas in Hillsboro. VIEWER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED. He ran a drug network that trafficked kilos of meth with help from his then-wife, Socorro Elena Gutierrez, from their Washington County home. Soldiers seized a couple of modified and armored trucks at a warehouse in the municipality of Camargo during a patrol on Saturday, local media reported. Both serve as popular entry ports for the precursor chemicals in synthetic drugs, mostly brought in fromChina. But when the days chores were done, Maciasdidn'tsocializewith others over drinks or dinner. Investigators uncovered three main pieces of the puzzle that revealed a snapshot of how this drug ring thrived. ", More:Ignoring cartel danger, Mexican families scour wilderness for missing loved ones' remains. After his escape, the U.S. took its manhunt public. CJNG's plan tomove intosmall-town America and cashin on the country's addiction crisis played out in Lexington, Kentucky. In mid-October, 13 Mexican police officers were killed in an ambush in El Mencho's home state of Michoacn in western Mexico. It is a tactic later mimicked by the likes of ISIS, a digital bid to intimidate and inflict anxiety on enemy factions and send a warning to government law enforcement who dare to meddle in their monetary schemes. ", Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. "You ask almost any young boy in Jalisco what they want to be when they grow up," one former intel officer, now based in Mexico City, lamented. The CJNG split from the Sinaloa Cartel after the killing of Ignacio Coronel, a capo whose death caused a power vacuum (via Insight Crime).Based in the western state of Jalisco, CJNG was founded by Nemesio Oseguera Ramos, whose ongoing leadership has placed him on Mexican and American most wanted . However, authorities did find bullet casings. But he kept getting caught. In Mexico, a DEA investigator said he was stunned when he learned CJNG cells were popping up in communities as small as Axton. FBI agents led a raid at the couple's home on Oct. 24, 2018, arresting the 51-year-old military veteran and his 53-year-old wife. Provided by McCracken County Sheriff's Department. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It was run by a deported felon who kept sneaking back across the border. 17. Investigators trailed behind Eduardo to the Lloyd Center shopping mall in Portland on July 10, 2018. Observers and anti-trafficking personnel who closely monitor the CJNG, which emerged around 2009 after splintering from the Sinaloa cartel, broadly conclude that much of its bloody approach can be attributed to its ruthless leader, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera. Adam died midsentence while writing a thank-you note to a friend on the eve of entering a rehab facility. Echeagaray pointed out that CJNG, although very violent, does not target civilians systematically. He can be contacted atIortiz@breitbart.com. Enemies: CJNG, Juarez Cartel, Los Zetas. "And that his uncle had manipulated him and used him and his cousin. [CDATA[ Pineda Penaloza and his crew were convicted of drug trafficking and are now in federal prison. A high-ranking state official in Jaliscosaid Americans are too quick to blame Mexico for the U.S. drug crisis. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A nine-month Courier Journal investigation reveals how CJNG's reach hasspread across the U.S. in the past five years, overwhelming cities and small towns with massive amounts of drugs. For police, it was d vu. CJNG, which routinely faces off with its No. A few instances of the harm: A co-defendant killed himself to avoid prison, and a 9-year-old girl tested positive for meth after her parents helped repackage drugs for resale. During his three months in jail, he got sober. Uncensored versions of the videos can be seen below. Farfan wasn't as lucky. "As well as those who suffer from a lack of economic opportunity because businesses cannot thrive, and a lack of quality of life because public services, in some ways, do not function well.". After agents toppled the Oregon drug network in 2018 and arrested 23 suspects, there were murders in Mexico that U.S. investigators suspect were meant to scare and silence potential witnesses in the Portland case. Balaclava-clad members of the CJNG released a video claiming responsibility for the killings it later emerged that the victims had no connection to organised crime whatsoever. Through corruption and intimidation, CJNG has thrived, even as it found additional ways to make money. Man filmed eating dead body parts of rival Cartel member. To an extent, it worked, illustrating how cartels manipulate on both sides of the border through threats and violence. Agents arrested him in 2006, and he was convicted of illegally reentering the U.S. and trafficking cocaine and meth. SEASIDE, Ore. This tranquil coastal town is known for its wide beaches and grand promenade and for becoming a target for drug traffickers peddling meth supplied by a Mexican super cartel. This case is another example of how CJNG is increasingly vying for turf in Michoacn, the birthplace of its leader, Rubn Oseguera Cervantes. Zetas behead and dismember four women from the Gulf Cartel The video shows four women on their knees in a field, their hands tied behind their backs. hammering his body with at least three bullets, stolen cars converted into armored vehicles to drones and high-powered machine guns. It's a common and effective tactic used by many cartels. In Seaside, known for commercial fishing and timber, traffickers easily established a strong customer base. "The violence in Mexico and elsewhere is something that doesn't stop at the border. They control witnesses in the U.S. by threatening to kidnap, torture and kill loved ones within their reach in Mexico, hamstringing agents trying to target drug kingpins and their powerful inner circle. . Moreover, the spread of crime by gangs 'affiliated' with the cartels increases the number of Mexicans who are victimized by crime indirectly related to cartels," he said. In Hillsboro, a suburb 30 minutes west of Portland, a savvy drug cell leader supplied by Victor Farfan seemed untouchable. I hate violence," according to a transcript of the hearing, with Farfan appearing before the judge from prison on Zoom. On April 13, 2017, federal agents arrested Maciason his way to Calumet Farm. More:US drug czar wants India to stem flow of chemicals used by Mexican cartels for fentanyl. "If you provide information to the Mexican government, its probably the last thing you would say.". El Mencho eventually joined the Milenio Cartel, gaining a reputation as a cunning sicario, or hitman, and then a boss of hitmen in Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital city. Histestimony helped convict a trafficker connected to CJNG in 2014. The young man, an opponent from a rival cartel, finds himself in the clutches of the Cartel de Sinaloa. Closethe air vents. "One of the techniques cartels use here in the United States is to take young people and make them responsible for significant amounts of drugs in order to shield themselves," Schindler said. The unending stream of narcotics has contributed to this countrys unprecedented addiction crisis, devastating families and killing more than 300,000 people since 2013. Since the arrest and extradition to the U.S. of Sinaloa frontman Joaqun "El Chapo" Guzmn in 2016, analysts say that the CJNG has steadily encroached on new terrain including Tijuana bringing with it a recipe for bloodletting and groups waginga war of dominance. El Mencho was deported in 1997and then traveled to Tijuana. Robertois awaiting sentencing in Paducah in August for trafficking meth while armed with a gun. Courier Journal reporters pieced together CJNGs network, from the suburbs of Seattle, the beaches of Mississippi and South Carolina, Californias coastline, the mountains of Virginia, small farming towns in Iowa and Nebraska, and across the Bluegrass State, including in Louisville, Lexington and Paducah. Treasury Department officials stood with Sessions and announced more sanctions on businesses linked to CJNG and its affiliate, Los Cuinis. One of the working law enforcement theories suggests the gunmen were targeting a former ally attending his mothers funeral. He previously was convicted on federal drug charges in the U.S. and was deported at least twice. Investigative reporter Beth Warren spent threedays in Mexico City and Guadalajara with the U.S. DrugEnforcement Administration and Mexican police and government officials. Think of this violence extending into every facet of their global operations. On Oct. 16, 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, standing next to a large "Wanted" poster of El Mencho, announced a $10 million reward for his capture and unveiled detailed indictments against him and CJNG. including the drug-related killings of two Mexican brothers in 2014, one of whom was found . When authorities arrested him, they found twoassault rifles, one inscribed with "Menchito" little Mencho and anotherengraved with"CJNG 02 JR.". Officials in Attorney General William Barr's office declined to comment on The Courier Journal's findings. 2020 has been an especially savage year in the border city of Tijuana,racking upalmost 2,000 murders almost on par with 2019 and once again earning the label of having the highest murder rate per capita of any city in Mexico. The case took place in Marcos Castellanos, Michoacan, where gunmen stormed a funeral service and forced mourners to line up against a wall before opening fire. Pullup the seat. His agents helped on the Farfan investigation. In addition, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a $10 million bounty on El Mencho's head, given that his rule and his rapid rise to power also bears a devastating impact across the U.S. "While the distribution in U.S. markets is principally through affiliated gangs and proxy groups, the CJNG is thusindirectly responsible for the production of illicit drugs that kill thousands of Americans," Ellis said. In June 2015, the Mexican military arrested El Menchos son and second-in-command, Rubn Oseguera Gonzles. "We have a problem of corruption. Critics say the Mexican president, known as AMLO, seems more concerned about using federal troops to keep South Americanimmigrants out of his country than challenging the cartels. In turn, the Sinaloans killed a high-ranking CJNG boss in the area, Emiliano Torres Ramrez AKA El Agapo. A veteran Jalisco police officer, whoasked not to be identified for his safety, said CJNG has officials on its payroll at thelocal, state and federal levels. Irma Isaisa Jasmine Arroyo, 10, whose body was found maimed and semi incinerated on 28 January in the city of Tecoman. Tifa Winters. You can follow him onTwitterand onFacebook. Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. Law enforcement agencies say that Mexican cartels have been targeting tourist destinations along the Oregon coast in an attempt to conceal their operations. And the lifelong, medieval punishment of physical disability is one that has become synonymous with both state and non-state actors over the years, from ISIS and al-Qaeda to theIranianregime. It has an army of 5,000 members . 2023www.courier-journal.com. FBI agents lauded Walker's work, which helped the Bureau and Homeland Security Investigations expose an extensive drug distribution cell that targeted the Pacific Northwest. Next steps crucial, experts say, US drug czar wants India to stem flow of chemicals used by Mexican cartels for fentanyl, Ignoring cartel danger, Mexican families scour wilderness for missing loved ones' remains, This small-town Oregon bricklayer had a side hustle: Gun supplier for Mexican drug cartel, Mexico-US investigation links cartel downing of military helicopter to Oregon gun supplier, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. It has drug cells all across the U.S., even in tiny towns. 1nemesis, the Sinaloa Cartel, dominates the majority supply of everything from methamphetamine and heroin to the devastating synthetic opioid fentanyl into its northern border and beyond. "If that takes them killing other cartels or killing innocent people, they will do it.". They also contacted more than two dozen accused cartel members or CJNG associates in prison and traveled to Mexico City, Guadalajara and 15 U.S. cities to see firsthand the far-reaching repercussions of El Menchos cartel. Guanajuato. Investigators believe Bustos fled to Mexico. Watch a man being brutally beheaded by rival Cartel members in Mexico! (REUTERS/Stringer). Headless bodies were dumped at the doorstep of a business associated with the Farfan family in their home state of Michoacn. The cartel exploits its connections with otherwise hard-working immigrants, said Dan Dodds, who leads DEA operations in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. "Either you or your family could be killed. Roberto, 22, had a fianc and young daughter in Morelia, a city in Michoacn. Macias found success following the cartel's three-pronged business model: Macias recruited Brizeida Janett Sosa, the mother of his youngest child, to help organize themoney laundering scheme, court records would later show. He was not a millionaire," Beaumont said. State and federal authorities have been unable to stop a fierce war in Michoacan between the CJNG and Carteles Unidos, an alliance of smaller regional organizations with proxy support from the Sinaloa Cartel. "There would be times on surveillance where you'd see 15 to 25 people roaming the local trap house waiting for the next supply to come in, walking around or sitting in cars, just waiting," said Walker, who later left the department. More:This small-town Oregon bricklayer had a side hustle: Gun supplier for Mexican drug cartel. More:Will El Chapo son's arrest slow export of drugs to US? He never mentioned suppliers in Mexico linked to a cartel, or what he called the Mexican mafia. Those who refuse bribesare threatened or killed. Farfan also had to hand over $100,000. Armas also asked them to repackage large amounts of drugs and sell out of their home to users as well as mid-level dealers. He was thought to be one of the leaders of Carteles Unidos. "It's gonna be hard to catch him slippin'," said Mori, the DEA agent overseeing the U.S. criminal investigation against El Mencho. As well as its feud with El Menchos CJNG, El Marros group has made threats against new Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador, intelligence website InSight Crime reports. Moreover, the U.S. lacks the authority to make arrests in foreign countries, said Evans, a senior DEA official. It is a forsaken endeavor to deter CJNG hitmen from infiltrating their neighborhoods. It also operated a tequila label,casinos,two shopping centers,a medical clinic,real estate companies and a Pacific Ocean resort frequented by Americans, according to U.S. Treasury Department records. Prosecutors successfully pushed for 15 years in their sentencing memo, pointing to Farfan's "unwillingness to stop drug trafficking and his unwillingness to remain outside of the United States." This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ", "He said: 'I'll do the time. "I still expected that they would be in markets in the Southwest, a little bit into some of the other major corridors, such as Atlanta and Chicago, Evans said. The incident is only one of many deeds of bloodshed to have been carried out by the CJNG, whose barbarity is said to be on ascendance in recent weeks and months spilling on to U.S. soil and livelihoods. Agents say he typically travels in a convoy, surrounding himself withdozens of well-trained mercenaries armed with military-grade weapons that can tear through tanks, even aircraft. More than 60 were targeted, including a biotech consulting company, a bakery and hillside vacation cabins. Prosecutors say Parra Pedroza and Pineda Sanchezwould keepa percentage, with the rest going tocartel members in Mexico. DEA agents take a suspect into custody during an arrest of a suspected drug trafficker on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 in Diamond Bar, Calif. The . ", Soldiers stand guard in front of a modified and armored truck as it is displayed to the media at a military base in Reynosa, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas June 5, 2011. Unlike most cartels and affiliated crime units that permeate Mexico, the CJNG has long posted its most extreme real-life horror films on display for the world to see across social media beheaded bodies left to hang and rot on bridges in broad daylight and beatings so brutal that the sound of bones cracking can be heard. The Elite Group is the top tier enforcement wing of the Jalisco New GeneralCartel, often referred to as CJNG. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He knew that cartels have connections inside U.S. prisons. But federal agents say CJNG was Kentuckys main supplier of fentanyl at the time of his death. A larger probe was underway by Washington County Sheriff's WIN Team, the Westside Interagency Narcotics task force that includes agents with the FBI, Hillsboro and Beaverton police and the Oregon National Guard County-Drug investigators. Soldiers seized a couple of modified and armored trucks at a warehouse in the municipality of Camargo during a patrol on Saturday, local media reported. So instead of blaming, we should look for solutions.. More unchecked opportunities. This time, as Farfan oversaw his drug business, FBI agents mounted an investigation against him. In America, Hispanic workers find themselves looked atwith suspicion because of political rhetoric that brands the drug trade and immigration as one and the same, say advocates for those workers. He had to pay $50,000. The 56-year-old rose from the humble roots of an avocado growing family, dropped out of primary school to work in the fields, to become one of the most potent drug lords on the planet. The gruesome crimes took place in Mexico's state of Colima. A pool of blood forms on the floor. "But its a little different when you go to Boise, Idaho, and other small towns where they dont have the resources to really focus on an international cartel.". The CJNG has also been accused of directly extorting businesses in the capital. Just hours after the crash, the cartel carried out coordinated attacks in 39 cities, blowingup banks, gas stations and setting cars and semis on fire on major highways to slow down police reinforcements. Farfan got the drugs from CJNG members in Michoacn, a western state long controlled by the cartel, La Familia Michoacna. Ciro Macias Martinez led a double life, working as a horse groomer by day and overseeing the flow of $30 million worth of drugs into Kentuckyby night before being imprisoned in 2018 for meth trafficking and money laundering, federal records show. Someone aware of the Lexington-Louisville operation talked to a DEA agent in 2016, who, in turn, flagged investigators in Kentucky. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. It has an army of 5,000 members . Jason Hoover, who oversaw Walker and teamed to raid area drug houses in the case. But soon, he was asked to deliver drugs. Dozens of couriers throughout the U.S. would then collect the drug profits and use the dirty moneyto buy scrap and fine gold. Twomasterminds now in prisonorchestrated the scheme from Guadalajara:Carlos Parra Pedroza,aliasWalt Disney, who owned a jewelry store; and Diego Pineda Sanchez, an accountant. And federal prosecutors alleged in court that convicted drug traffickerJesus Enrique Palomera, theleader of a cartel cell in Tacoma, Washington, ordered the kidnapping and murderof a manwhose fingers and toes werechopped off a commonmethod of torturein Mexico. "He was terrified to talk about this," his attorney told The Courier Journal. It has an army of 5,000 members, including some former police officers. The cartel has run brothels in Mexico, often using teens and women forced into CJNG's web. Police found seven guns in the couple's bedroom. His followers have spread tonearly all of Mexico's 32 states, including the cities ofGuadalajara and Tijuana, both crucial to moving drugs into the U.S. From there, ElMencho's empire went global, withasteady and growing customerbasein the U.S., as well as in Australia, Europe andJapan. According to the military, the vehicles were used by the CDG (Gulf Cartel) to transport drugs and hitmen. "El Mencho, a former police officer, knows that violence and fear are what keepthese cartels in power within Mexico. CJNG has skirted Mexican and U.S. inspections at legal border crossings by hiding drugs in semitrailers hauling tomatoes, avocados and other produce, dumping at least 5 tons of cocaine and 5 tons of meth into this country every month, according to DEA estimates. This short film details The Courier Journal's investigation into CJNG and its leader, El Mencho, began in early 2019 and what was uncovered. Soldiers stand guard in front of a modified and armored truck as it is displayed to the media at a military base in Reynosa, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas June 5, 2011. After agents toppled the drug ring, the cartel turned on the gang. Selling drugs in bulk to local traffickers, who then sold to area dealers. Armas, in turn, paid Farfan, who then oversaw the flow of money back to cartel members in Mexico. Snchez was once a top lieutenant in the CJNG, but split to form his own cartel called La Nueva Plaza in 2017. Entire familieswho resisthave been slaughtered, Donahue said. All rights reserved. There, he built a thriving drug trafficking business, but the city's dominantcartel ordered him to leave when leaders became threatened by his success. The information leaks make catching El Mencho extremely difficult, he said. Alderete was indicted in September 2019 in Chicago on charges of trafficking more than a kilo of heroin and at least 400 grams of fentanyl from May to June of this year. As Farfan's day of reckoning neared, he and his family pleaded for leniency. He briefly worked as a police officer in Tomatln, a small town in Jalisco, learningthe inner workings of law enforcement,said DEA Special Agent Kyle Mori, who is heading the U.S. criminal investigationagainstEl Mencho fromLos Angeles. killing on turf wars between the Jalisco cartel and its rivals as it expands into new territory. Eduardo mulled over his future. Legal Statement. El Menchos powerful international syndicate is flooding the U.S. with thousands of kilos of methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl every year despite being targeted repeatedly by undercover stings, busts and lengthy investigations. In eightmonths, Sosas crew laundered about $1million for CJNG,stacking drugs and cash behind a wall of their trailer. This week, murderers from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in Ensenada, Baja California, failed to assassinate an operator of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Portland-based drug network, which stretched into affluent area suburbs, westbound to Oregon's quaint coastal cities and north into southwestern Washington, is emblematic of a key Mexican cartel strategy to establish drug pipelines far beyond the border and into small, unsuspecting towns. Tipped off that a police caravan was on its way to grab El Mencho, CJNGhitmen hidalong the route in April 2015 and ambushed fourpolice vehicles. U.S. officials have . The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is Mexico's most violent crime gang. Hearing more details, the investigator, who asked not to be identified to protect his work, acknowledged to The Courier Journal: "Its a great strategy.". But also by his own peers after they abandoned him to this . U.S. drug agents believe he's in western Mexico, hiding in remote jungles or mountains of Jalisco, Colima or Michocan. CJNG even established a cell in south-central Virginia, buying or renting a cluster of modest homes in Axton an unincorporated community of roughly 6,500. Other bosses used threats of violence in the U.S., despite El Mencho's warnings against it. For example, a Lexington waitress seekingcash to pay fordental assistant courses ended up making bank deposits that she didnt know were for CJNG, according to court transcripts. "When they shot the helicopter out of the sky is when everyone respected CJNG as a powerhouse cartel and a rival of Sinaloa,"Donahue said. //]]>. Rubn "Nemesio" Oseguera Cervantes is the leader of Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin, better known as CJNG. To help Maciassmuggle drugs into the U.S., cartel leaders used a Toyota Camry with a secret compartment on the armrest that opened through a sequence of steps: Turnon the heater. Regardless, prosecutors had strong evidence including transcripts from six months of wire taps in 2018 as Farfan chatted about drug shipments. "Theyre killing the next generation, and one of them was my son," Brenda Cooley said. The cartels, including CJNG, are feeling empowered because of the rampantviolence in Mexico, said Paul Craine, a retired DEA supervisor who oversaw the U.S. hunt for El Chapo. It could hide 9 kilos of drugs and a pile of cash. Reporter Beth Warren: bwarren@courier-journal.com; 502-582-7164; Twitter @BethWarrenCJ. "As well as the violence and corruption that puts at risk the neighbor with which the United States shares an enormous land border, and in which thousands of U.S. companies operate, and U.S. citizens live.". While the CJNG makes no effortsto hide its beef with adverse cartels and Mexican military and law enforcement, civilians are all too often caught in the cryptic crossfire.