The United States government is offering up to a $25 million reward for information on the new leader of one of the most violent and dangerous narco-terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere. Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzáles, a.k.a. ‘Pelón,’ became leader of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación or CJNG following the February 2026 death of his stepfather, CJNG founder Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, a.k.a. “El Mencho.”
Born in Santa Ana, California, in 1984, the narco-terrorist is a citizen of both the U.S. and Mexico and also uses the aliases ‘El R-3,’ ‘El JP,’ ‘Tricky Tres,’ and ‘O3’. He is 5’9” and about 170 lbs. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
CJNG was recently designated a foreign terrorist organization by President Donald Trump’s administration. The cartel poisons American communities with illicit fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. “They are responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands, including American citizens,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Michael C. Gonzales.
On October 8, 2020, Valencia González was charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance for purpose of unlawful importation into the United States and use of a firearm during a narcotics transaction.
The increased reward was announced by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs under the Narcotics Rewards Program (NRP).
If you have information, please contact the DEA by phone at 1-213-237-9990 (text/WhatsApp/Signal/Threema) or by email at CJNGtips@dea.gov. If you are located outside of the United States, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, please contact the local DEA office in your city. All Identities are kept strictly confidential.