The **Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)** is a powerful and violent Mexican criminal organization founded around 2009-2010 as a splinter faction from the Milenio Cartel, initially aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel. Led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes ("El Mencho"), now one of the DEA’s most wanted with a $10 million reward for his capture, the CJNG grew rapidly into a dominant independent cartel[1][2][3][4]. CJNG’s origins trace to the fragmentation of the Milenio Cartel and the power vacuum left by the capture and death of key Sinaloa leaders. Initially functioning as the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG became infamous for brutal violence, including the 2011 Veracruz Massacre where it displayed 35 bodies of Los Zetas members to mark its arrival and intent to control territory[3][4]. By 2014, CJNG broke from the Sinaloa Cartel, sparking violent turf wars against former allies and rival cartels across Mexico, notably in Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Colima, and Zacatecas[1][3][4]. CJNG controls vast criminal enterprises including large-scale drug trafficking (cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl), extortion, kidnapping, human trafficking, illegal mining, oil theft, and control over lucrative markets such as avocado farming in Michoacán and Guanajuato[2][4]. The cartel operates in at least 27 of Mexico’s 32 states, maintaining a highly agile and diversified structure that supports its expansion and resilience despite law enforcement pressure[2][4]. Notable events include the 2016 kidnapping of two sons of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, a move seen as a direct challenge to the Sinaloa Cartel[1]. CJNG’s financial arm