The deadly ambush of 15 state police officers in Soyatan, Jalisco earlier this month drew international attention and dramatically raised the profile of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Yet this is unlikely to benefit the cartel in the long run, as its leaders increasingly find themselves the targets of both the Mexican and U.S. governments.
A few days after the attack, the U.S. Treasury Department added the CJNG to its drug “kingpin” list, designed to freeze assets and prevent American citizens from doing business with the cartels. It identified Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” as the suspected head of the organization. He will now have to spend all his money and time evading law enforcement authorities throughout the continent.
The CJNG first appeared in 2011 when they took the nickname “Los Mata Zetas” (The Zeta Killers) and promised to fight back against the northern cartel. Later, the rivalry with the Michoacan-based Knights Templars cartel intensified, along with the violence. Former Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam even accused the CJNG of arming self-defense groups in an effort to consolidate their position in Michoacan.
The CJNG has consistently tried to justify its actions, often hanging narco-banners in public places to stress that it supports citizens and that its only problem is with their rivals, the Zetas and Knights Templar cartels. State authorities told residents to ignore messages on banners placed prominently in Guadalajara shortly after the Soyatan attacks that they said only sought “to gain the empathy of citizens.”
With revenue streams from the Michoacan drug empire now flowing into CJNG hands, the group seems to have everything in place to become the most powerful cartel in the country.
Many analysts, however, believe the brazen commitment to violence will shorten its lifespan.
“The Mexican government has proved efficient at targeting the leadership of criminal groups that commit sensational acts of violence,” said drug war analyst David Gagne.
Security expert Sylvia Longmire agrees with this analysis. “They make way too much noise, and while that brings the desired notoriety, they’re not experienced enough to realize this is bad news if they want to grow and stay in business in the long term. As for the police ambush and massacre, they also need to learn that cartels stay in business by influencing cops to bend to their will, not killing all of them.”
Nonetheless, the CJNG has been careful to cultivate some important allies that should help their longevity, not least the powerful Sinaloa Cartel and Los Cuinis, reportedly the wealthiest drug trafficking organization in the world owing to their expansion into the profitable European and Asian drug markets.
The U.S. Treasury added Los Cuinis to its drug “kingpin” list at the same time as the CJNG.