Juan Carlos Valencia, a U.S. citizen born in Santa Ana, California, has been identified by U.S. intelligence as the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Mexico's most powerful criminal organization. His ascension follows the death of his stepfather and cartel co-founder, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, in February. This development raises significant legal questions for the U.S. regarding its ability to pursue a citizen operating on foreign soil.
Valencia, 41, was indicted in Washington D.C. on drug trafficking and weapons charges in October 2020. The U.S. Department of State offered a $5 million reward for his capture, a reward that remains active. A former U.S. law enforcement official familiar with operations in Mexico noted that the U.S. typically has protocols against targeting its own citizens, which could complicate direct action against Valencia.
"It should change the rules of engagement where we will not target. We’re not supposed to target, put a U.S. citizen in danger. He’s got dual citizenship. But his US citizenship should protect him from the typical protocol of launching an operation that would put his life in unnecessary jeopardy," the former official stated.
Instead, the U.S. government is likely to provide intelligence to Mexican authorities, who would then conduct their own operations. "The US will never say that they’re the ones who coordinated an operation because it’s Mexican soil and its Mexican sovereignty," the official added. "But it would be their operation. That’s the way to get around the citizenship thing if somebody wanted to get around it."
Valencia is the son of Armando Valencia, a co-founder of the now-defunct Milenio Cartel. His mother, Rosalinda González, had three children with El Mencho, including Rúben ‘El Menchito’ Oseguera, who was sentenced to life in prison in March 2025 after a conviction in a D.C. federal court.
Valencia reportedly rose through the cartel's ranks, becoming a leader of its armed wing, known as “Grupo Elite.” He was considered second-in-command before the arrest of Audias ‘El Jardinero’ Flores on April 27. Security consultant David Saucedo suggested that Valencia might have played a role in Flores’s arrest, noting the lack of cartel retaliation following Flores's detention, which could indicate internal maneuvering by Valencia to eliminate rivals.
"After he was arrested, there were practically no acts of narco-terrorism — no roadblocks, no looting of stores, and no reaction whatsoever from the Jalisco Cartel," Saucedo said. "There was no significant backlash. This suggests that Juan Carlos Valencia himself was in on it and was the one who revealed El Jardinero’s location, thereby eliminating internal rivals."