Érick Valencia Salazar, a founding member of Mexico's notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has entered a guilty plea to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. federal court, the Department of Justice announced.
Known by the alias "El 85," Valencia Salazar admitted to conspiring to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine into the United States. The plea change carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, with his formal sentencing scheduled for July 31.
"He helped build CJNG into a ruthless organization that uses violence as a business model—murdering for control in Mexico while flooding the United States with poison," stated the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Valencia Salazar was initially captured by the Mexican military in 2012 but was released five years later. He was re-arrested in his home state of Jalisco in 2022 and was among a group of 29 alleged cartel leaders extradited to the United States in February 2025 to face trial.
The guilty plea marks a significant development in the ongoing U.S. campaign against the CJNG, which was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Trump administration last year. The administration has intensified pressure on Mexico to combat cartels, citing threats to regional security and stability.
The case unfolds against a backdrop of continued cartel violence in Mexico. Earlier this year, CJNG operatives launched coordinated attacks across 20 states following reports that the cartel's top leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho"), had died from injuries sustained during his capture by Mexican security forces.