特朗普将该卡特尔指定为外国恐怖组织后不久，司法部宣布了一项”彻底消灭”的政策变更
作者：彼得·皮内多
福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年2月23日 美国东部时间下午2:30
政府文件显示，周末毒枭”埃尔·孟乔”（El Mencho）的倒台是特朗普政府针对残忍的哈利斯科新一代卡特尔（CJNG）实施的为期一年多、积极推进的”彻底消灭”战略的最终结果。CJNG几乎渗透到美国全部50个州。
当局称，哈利斯科新一代卡特尔（CJNG）头目鲁文·”内梅西奥”·奥塞古拉·塞万提斯（Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes）——即”埃尔·孟乔”——周日在墨西哥塔帕拉（Tapalpa）的一次墨西哥军方行动中被击毙。尽管这次行动由墨西哥军队执行，但美国为其奠定了基础，使埃尔·孟乔的倒台成为可能。
在唐纳德·特朗普总统上任第一天，他签署了一项行政命令，指示国务院将几个卡特尔和国际犯罪组织指定为”外国恐怖组织”（FTO），这一指定解锁了军事级别的监视和”物质支持”起诉。尽管比MS-13或特伦德阿拉瓜组织（Tren de Aragua）知名度低，但CJNG是政府指定的FTO之一。
特朗普签署行政命令后不久，2月5日，司法部长帕姆·邦迪（Pam Bondi）向所有司法部雇员发送了一份政策备忘录，宣布对卡特尔和跨国犯罪组织的心态和方法发生”根本性转变”，转向”彻底消灭”政策。
邦迪表示，司法部将不再仅仅试图减轻卡特尔活动的危害，而是会简化繁文缛节，”授权全国联邦检察官与国土安全部及政府其他部门紧急合作，以实现消除这些对美国主权威胁的目标”。
备忘录称，司法部将优先处理卡特尔管理者和领导人。
根据美国缉毒局（DEA）2025年《国家毒品威胁评估》，CJNG是墨西哥最残忍的卡特尔之一，也是向美国供应芬太尼的关键供应商，使其成为”对美国公共卫生、公共安全和国家安全构成最重大威胁的组织之一”。
美国缉毒局表示，CJNG在美国境内拥有庞大的分销网络，其同伙、 facilitators和附属机构在”几乎所有50个美国州”开展活动。美国缉毒局还指出，CJNG参与非毒品犯罪的程度不断加深，包括勒索、对人口走私征税和欺诈计划。
2019年司法部致参议院国土安全和政府事务委员会的一份声明中称，CJNG是”最强大和增长最快的卡特尔之一”，并在洛杉矶、纽约、芝加哥和亚特兰大运营关键毒品分销中心。国家情报总监办公室估计该组织约有15,000至20,000名成员。
[卡特尔火力超过警方：埃尔·孟乔突袭行动中缴获的火箭发射器凸显CJNG火力]
认识到CJNG带来的威胁，特朗普政府在就职一个多月后就宣布了重大成果。2月27日，邦迪宣布美国已从墨西哥引渡了29名高级卡特尔头目，其中包括CJNG的顶级领导人、一名关键资金经纪人以及埃尔·孟乔的一名家庭成员。在被引渡并被起诉的人员中，包括埃尔·孟乔的兄弟安东尼奥·奥塞古拉·塞万提斯（Antonio Oseguera Cervantes），他也被称为”托尼·蒙大拿”（Tony Montana），因涉嫌在卡特尔中担任领导角色而在哥伦比亚特区被起诉。
3月7日，埃尔·孟乔的儿子兼继承人鲁文·奥塞古拉-冈萨雷斯（Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez），即”小孟乔”（El Menchito），在华盛顿特区被判处终身监禁外加30年徒刑，并被下令没收60亿美元毒品收益。小孟乔于2020年第一任特朗普政府时期被引渡到美国。
一周后的3月15日，总统再次加大了对卡特尔的打击力度，将芬太尼指定为大规模杀伤性武器，授权在边境使用先进军事资产进行供应方拦截。这一举措对CJNG的毒品走私行动产生了重大影响。
6月是打击CJNG的另一个高影响月份。埃尔·孟乔的姐夫何塞·冈萨雷斯·瓦伦西亚（José González Valencia），即”拉切帕”（La Chepa），被判处30年联邦监禁。另一名高级领导人何塞·冈萨雷斯·瓦伦西亚（José González Valencia）——CJNG金融部门”洛斯库尼人”（Los Cuinis）的联合创始人——也被判处30年徒刑。
同月，财政部首次动用《打击芬太尼法案》（FEND Off Fentanyl Act），切断了三家主要墨西哥银行CIBanco、Intercam和Vector与美元系统的联系，理由是这些银行涉嫌为CJNG洗钱。
[美国毒品过量死亡人数暴跌20%，特朗普政府加强对南部边境的打击]
8月，政府从墨西哥引渡了另外26名高级卡特尔头目，其中包括埃尔·孟乔的另一名姐夫阿比盖尔·冈萨雷斯·瓦伦西亚（Abigael González Valencia），即”库尼人”（El Cuini），他是该卡特尔一个主要洗钱组织的头目。
毫不松懈，下个月，美国缉毒局和国土安全部发起了一场大规模全国性一周行动高潮，针对CJNG的分销网络。此次行动导致670人被捕，缴获1800万美元现金和2900万美元资产。行动还查获了92.4公斤芬太尼粉末和1,157,672粒假冒芬太尼药片。
缉毒局局长特伦斯·科尔（Terrance Cole）在宣布查获时表示，政府正”将哈利斯科新一代卡特尔作为其本质——一个恐怖组织——从领导层到分销网络及中间的每一个环节进行打击”。
[墨西哥在美国压力下将37名卡特尔成员押解至美国]
科尔当时表示：”让这成为一个警告。DEA不会松懈……这次有针对性的行动只是开始——我们将共同推进这场斗争，直到这个威胁被彻底击败。”
截至2025年底，美国缉毒局报告称，已从包括CJNG在内的卡特尔走私者手中查获了总计4700万粒芬太尼药片，足以代表超过3.69亿致命剂量。
2026年初，政府再次加大了对CJNG和其他卡特尔的打击力度。国防部在美军北方司令部下成立了联合跨部门反卡特尔特遣部队（JIATF-CC），作为”政府整体应对沿美墨边境对美国构成威胁的卡特尔行动的下一步”。
2月19日，就在塔帕拉突袭行动的72小时前，财政部制裁了CJNG控制的波多黎各巴亚尔塔港的科维花园度假村（Kovay Gardens），切断了流入卡特尔金库的3亿美元收入来源。
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突袭行动后，白宫新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特（Karoline Leavitt）证实，美国向墨西哥政府提供了情报支持，协助此次行动。
莱维特补充说，特朗普”非常明确地表示，美国将确保 narcoterrorists（麻醉恐怖分子）……面临他们长期应得的正义的愤怒”。
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[墨西哥毒枭在美支持行动中死亡，死亡人数上升]
彼得·皮内多是福克斯新闻数字版政治记者。
Trump’s ‘total elimination’ strategy paved way for fall of cartel kingpin ‘El Mencho’
Shortly after Trump designated the cartel a foreign terrorist organization, the DOJ announced a policy change to ‘total elimination’
By Peter Pinedo
Fox News
Published February 23, 2026 2:30pm EST
Government documents reveal the fall of drug kingpin “El Mencho” over the weekend was the culmination of an aggressive, more than yearlong strategy of “total elimination” pursued by the Trump administration against the ruthless Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which is present in almost all 50 U.S. states.
Ruben “Nemesio” Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” the leader of the CJNG, was killed Sunday in a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, Mexico, authorities said. Though the operation was carried out by Mexican forces, the United States laid the groundwork, making El Mencho’s fall possible.
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate several cartels and international criminal groups “foreign terrorist organizations” (FTOs), a designation unlocking military-grade surveillance and “material support” prosecutions. Though lesser known than MS-13 or Tren de Aragua, CJNG was one of the groups designated an FTO by the administration.
Shortly after Trump’s executive order, on Feb. 5, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a policy memorandum to all Department of Justice employees, announcing a “fundamental change in mindset and approach” to cartels and transnational criminal organizations to a policy of “total elimination.”
Rather than simply seeking to mitigate the harms of cartel activity, Bondi said the DOJ would be suspending red tape to “empower federal prosecutors throughout the country to work urgently with the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the government toward the goal of eliminating these threats to U.S. sovereignty.”
The memo said the DOJ would be prioritizing cartel managers and leaders.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment, CJNG is one of the most ruthless cartels in Mexico and a key supplier of fentanyl to the U.S., making it “one of the most significant threats to the public health, public safety, and national security of the United States.”
The DEA said CJNG operates vast distribution networks within the U.S., with associates, facilitators and affiliates operating in “almost all 50 U.S. states.” The DEA also said CJNG has been increasing its involvement in non-drug crime, including extortion, taxing human smuggling and fraud schemes.
A 2019 DOJ statement to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs states that CJNG is “one of the most powerful and fastest growing cartels” and operates key drug distribution hubs in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Atlanta. The Department of National Intelligence estimates the group has approximately 15,000–20,000 members.
[CARTELS OUTGUN POLICE: ROCKET LAUNCHERS SEIZED IN EL MENCHO RAID SPOTLIGHT CJNG FIREPOWER]
Recognizing the threat posed by CJNG, the administration announced major results just over one month after Trump’s inauguration. On Feb. 27, Bondi announced the U.S. had secured the extradition of 29 high-ranking cartel leaders from Mexico, including top-tier CJNG leaders, a key money broker and a family member of El Mencho. Among those extradited and charged was Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “Tony Montana,” El Mencho’s brother, who was charged in the District of Columbia for his alleged leadership role in the cartel.
On March 7, El Mencho’s son and heir apparent, Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez, known as “El Menchito,” was sentenced in Washington, D.C., to life in prison plus 30 years and ordered to forfeit $6 billion in drug proceeds. El Menchito had been extradited to the U.S. during the first Trump administration in 2020.
The next week, on March 15, the president again upped the ante against the cartels by designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, authorizing the use of advanced military assets for supply-side interdiction at the border. The move had a major impact on CJNG’s drug smuggling operations.
June was another high-impact month in the fight against CJNG. El Mencho’s brother-in-law, José González Valencia, “La Chepa,” was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Another high-ranking leader, José González Valencia, co-founder of the CJNG’s financial wing “Los Cuinis,” was also sentenced to 30 years.
The same month, the Treasury Department used the FEND Off Fentanyl Act for the first time to cut off three major Mexican banks, CIBanco, Intercam and Vector, from the U.S. dollar system for allegedly laundering CJNG funds.
[US DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS PLUMMET 20% AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON SOUTHERN BORDER]
In August, the administration secured the extradition of another 26 high-ranking cartel leaders from Mexico, including Abigael González Valencia, another brother-in-law of El Mencho known as “El Cuini,” who was the head of a major money-laundering organization for the cartel.
Not letting up, the next month, the DEA and Department of Homeland Security launched a massive, nationwide weeklong operational surge targeting CJNG distribution networks. The effort led to 670 arrests and the seizure of $18 million in currency and $29 million in assets. The operation also resulted in the seizure of 92.4 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 1,157,672 counterfeit fentanyl pills.
Announcing the seizures, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said the administration “is targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as what it is—a terrorist organization—at every level, from its leadership to its distribution networks and everyone in between.”
[MEXICO FLIES 37 CARTEL MEMBERS TO US UNDER PRESSURE FROM TRUMP ADMIN]
“Let this serve as a warning,” said Cole at the time. “DEA will not relent … This focused operation is only the beginning — we will carry this fight forward together until this threat is defeated.”
By the end of 2025, the DEA was reporting that it had seized a total of 47 million fentanyl pills, enough to represent more than 369 million lethal doses, from cartel smugglers, including CJNG.
At the start of 2026, the administration again increased its targeting of CJNG and other cartels. The Department of War established the Joint Interagency Task Force-Counter Cartel (JIATF-CC) under U.S. Northern Command as the “next step” in the whole-of-government approach to “identify, disrupt, and dismantle cartel operations posing a threat to the United States along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
On Feb. 19, just 72 hours before the Tapalpa raid, the Treasury sanctioned Kovay Gardens, a CJNG-controlled resort in Puerto Vallarta, cutting off a $300 million revenue stream flowing into the cartel’s coffers.
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Following the raid, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the U.S. provided intelligence support to the Mexican government to assist in the operation.
Leavitt added that Trump “has been very clear the United States will ensure narcoterrorists … are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.”
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Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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