An American citizen is believed to have assumed a leading role within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most violent criminal groups, following the reported killing of its co-founder and longtime leader last month.
Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, a 41-year-old born in California and known as “03,” is the stepson of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, widely known as El Mencho.
He has previously held a regional leadership position within the cartel and has long been viewed by analysts and journalists as a likely successor due to his growing influence within the organization.
While the report references official sources from both the United States and Mexican governments, confirming his status as the definitive leader remains challenging. The CJNG is believed to operate through a structure resembling a criminal council, with multiple high-ranking figures sharing authority rather than a single centralized command.
Valencia Gonzalez gained prominence after the arrest of El Mencho’s son, Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, also known as “El Menchito,” in 2015. After spending five years in a maximum-security prison in Mexico, he was extradited to the United States. In March 2025, a court in the District of Columbia sentenced him to life imprisonment plus an additional 30 years for his involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy.
With the removal of what had been considered the cartel’s primary heir, Valencia Gonzalez increasingly came into focus as a potential successor, according to security experts and intelligence assessments from both the US and Mexico. His alias, “03,” is said to reflect his proximity to the cartel’s top leadership, with “01” previously assigned to El Mencho and “02” to his son.
Mexican authorities have also identified him as the leading figure behind the “Grupo de Elite,” an armed wing of the CJNG known for its heavy weaponry and paramilitary-style training.
Despite this, some analysts remain skeptical about his elevation to overall leadership. Security expert David Saucedo has suggested that the “03” designation may not definitively indicate succession within the cartel’s complex hierarchy.
“I suspect this hypothesis will not materialize. If ‘03’ automatically becomes the new leader of the Jalisco Cartel, he would immediately become a target for authorities. A collective, temporary leadership would have been better so that capture efforts could be spread across four individuals. Concentrating all the attention is not a move I believe ‘03’ would favor. It seems to me it would be in his interest to maintain this collective leadership structure and not draw the full attention of the United States onto himself,” Saucedo told Anadolu.
Following the reported death of El Mencho, Mexico’s Security Chief Omar Garcia Harfuch stated that authorities are monitoring four potential successors, though he did not disclose their identities. Analysts, including Saucedo, had previously pointed to Valencia Gonzalez as one of the frontrunners.
Other figures believed to be in contention include Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, known as “El Doble R,” once considered a leading candidate and associated with high levels of violence; Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan, or “El Sapo,” who has been linked to forced recruitment and torture operations; and Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero.”
Saucedo noted that if Valencia Gonzalez has indeed taken effective control, it may have prevented an even more violent outcome. He warned that leadership under rival figures could have escalated conflict within the country.
“If, on the contrary, a transition had favored ‘El Sapo’ or ‘El Doble R,’ then the country would be in turmoil, because they are military-type leaders, warrior figures within the Jalisco Cartel. Within the cartel itself, there are factions—the political, negotiating wing and the shock group, the military ones, those who seek confrontation, those who understand no language other than that of weapons,” he said.
