Overview
- Wall Street Journal reporting says CJNG under Nemesio Oseguera has eclipsed the Sinaloa cartel, a shift U.S. officials link to intensified anti‑fentanyl pressure on Sinaloa networks.
- Millennium Health data show cocaine use up 154% in the U.S. West and 19% in the East since 2019, while CDC figures indicate fentanyl use has fallen since mid‑2023.
- Sources cited by the WSJ describe a December meeting in Nayarit where CJNG provided arms, cash and fighters to Los Chapitos in exchange for access to smuggling routes and border tunnels.
- CJNG is reported to move tons of cocaine from Colombia through Ecuador to Mexico’s Pacific coast via fast boats and narco‑submarines, contributing to cheaper, higher‑purity cocaine in U.S. retail markets.
- The U.S. offers a $15 million reward for Oseguera, who is said to remain in a mountain compound with RPG‑7‑equipped escorts, while CJNG diversifies revenue through extortion and fuel theft.