Four people allegedly affiliated with Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a foreign terrorist organization, have been indicted by the United States after being arrested in the Czech Republic in June, where they are alleged to have traveled to buy weapons.
Edgar Alejandro Lopez Velasco, 44, Noe Diaz Jimenez, 33, Leobardo Gaxiola Lopez, 63, and Jose Miguel Alvarado Morales, 23, were arrested on the night of June 10/11. All four were indicted in Florida on federal charges of drug importation and firearms trafficking conspiracies. Lopez Velasco, Diaz Jimenez, and Alvarado Morales were also charged with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism.
Lopez Velasco and Diaz Jimenez “intended to pay for the weapons with controlled substances, to include fentanyl and methamphetamine, that would be distributed in the United States,” the indictment alleges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also said that Mexican authorities dismantled a synthetic opioid laboratory in the city of Zapopan in Jalisco state on June 12. It was allegedly run by Diaz Jimenez.
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said Lopez Velasco and Alvarado Morales have already been extradited from the Czech Republic and had their initial appearances in court in Florida on Aug. 10.
It remains unclear how law enforcement heard of the weapons-for-drugs negotiations, or whether it was a sting carried out by undercover officers.
The U.S. Embassy in Prague, in an Aug. 12 post on X, praised local law enforcement.
“We thank our partners in the Czech security forces for their outstanding assistance in the arrest and extradition of several dangerous individuals to the United States, where they will face trial and criminal prosecution,” it said.
It was not immediately clear whether the four had legal representatives who could comment on their behalf.
The indictment states the CJNG is involved in a war for “total control of organized crime in Mexico by eliminating or assimilating rivals,” including the Sinaloa Cartel and other groups.
“To further this objective, CJNG purchases semi-automatic firearms, machineguns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, ammunition, ordnance, and other weapons to preserve territories under its control, take over other territories by force, kill rival cartel members, and quell resistance to its terroristic goals,” the indictment states.
The indictment also states that following his death, the CJNG is now operated by factions, which operate as “separate but affiliated and cooperative criminal organizations.”
“One such faction is the Flores Silva faction, under the leadership of Audias Flores Silva,” the indictment states.
It alleges Alvarado Morales, one of the defendants, is his godson.
On Aug. 5, the U.S. government offered a $25 million reward for information leading to the capture of Juan Carlos Valencia González, a U.S. citizen who it said was the CJNG’s new leader.
The U.S. State Department said González took over as leader of the CJNG following the death of “El Mencho” in February. The reward for him was increased from $5 million to $25 million, and the Trump administration offered a total of $100 million in rewards for other CJNG faction leaders, including Flores Silva.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters in Washington that cartels have plagued the United States for too long.
“These sophisticated organizations use violence and fear to maintain control over the importation of deadly narcotics in the United States, including fentanyl, cocaine, meth, and other illegal drugs,” Blanche said on Aug. 5. “Their actions spread violence and death to our communities.”
