Erick Valencia-Salazar, a California man who is said to have co-founded Mexico’s Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a federal narcotics conspiracy charge.

Valencia-Salazar was arrested in Tapalpa, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, in 2022 for conspiring to send thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the US on behalf of the CJNG. His transfer to the US was part of a collaborative effort with the Mexican government, to ensure the transfer of 29 cartel leaders. His guilty plea carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. 

Known as “El 85,” Valencia-Salazar left the Milenio Cartel to start his own cartel with Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the drug kingpin later known as “El Mencho.” He supplied AK-47 and AR-15 rifles to the Milenio cartel’s gunmen before becoming responsible for the recruitment of hundreds of CJNG members. The CJNG is now one of Mexico’s most powerful and deadly drug cartels, reportedly responsible for instability on both sides of the border. The cartel was officially designated by the US as a “foreign terrorist organization” in 2025. 

The two were pursued by government for well over 15 years, with the US offering a $5 million reward in 2017 for any information leading to Valencia-Salazar’s arrest or conviction, and $15 million for El Mencho. El Mencho was killed by the Mexican army this February, while Valencia-Salazar was sent by Mexican authorities to the US in 2025, after being indicted in 2018 by a grand jury for conspiracy charges.

The DEA’s Special Operations Division is investigating the case to assist with its prosecution, stating that the guilty plea marks another step in holding drug leadership accountable. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva cited the cartel as being one of the most violent in Mexico, causing immeasurable damage to the US. Valencia-Salazar is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31 by Judge James Boasberg.