American Citizen Reportedly Takes Over Jalisco Cartel; Could Complicate U.S. Efforts to Target Him

Juan Carlos Valencia González, the California-born stepson of slain Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," has emerged as the apparent new head of the organization, a succession that could complicate U.S. efforts to surveil and target him because he is an American citizen, according to a new report.

U.S. and Mexican officials say Valencia González, 41, has moved to the top of the cartel's hierarchy following Oseguera's killing last month. His rise places a U.S.-born figure at the head of one of Mexico's most powerful criminal organizations at a time when Washington and the Mexican government have intensified cooperation against cartel networks.

Current and former U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that Valencia González's citizenship could create legal hurdles for American intelligence agencies and law enforcement.

Under U.S. rules, surveillance of Americans overseas generally requires approval from the attorney general and authorization from a secret foreign intelligence court. Those additional procedures, officials said, could slow action against a cartel long central to bilateral anti-narcotics efforts.

"Can the government kill a U.S. person overseas or even at home without a trial if they are perceived to be a threat to the U.S.?" former CIA official Steven Cash told WSJ, underscoring the questions now facing American authorities.

Valencia González' ascent had been anticipated soon after Oseguera's killing. Earlier reporting identified him as a leading contender to succeed his stepfather, although analysts at the time said the cartel's decentralized structure left open the possibility of a contested transition.

Officials, however, now say he appears to have consolidated his position, with senior lieutenants reportedly backing his leadership to avoid a damaging internal split.

Valencia González has been a target of U.S. authorities for years. In 2021, the State Department announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

A federal indictment returned in Washington in 2020 charged him with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances for unlawful importation into the United States. The State Department said a DEA investigation found he was responsible for the manufacturing, transportation and distribution of large quantities of narcotics and for organizing violent crimes.

Mexican officials and security analysts have described him as a significant operational figure within the cartel. Mexico's defense secretary previously identified him as one of the leaders of the cartel's armed wing, Grupo Elite, while U.S. authorities have linked him to trafficking cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. He is also the son of Rosalinda González Valencia, described by investigators as a key financial figure in the cartel.