How Mexico's ‘CJNG’ Drug Cartel Embraced AI, Drones, and Social Media

“El Mencho” is dead.

This weekend, Mexican Army Special Forces killed Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the caput of the almighty Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) successful Tapalpa, Jalisco, Mexico. Following confirmation of El Mencho's decease by national authorities, experts expect a profound reconfiguration of the planetary cause trafficking landscape, a script that could pb to a caller and unsafe question of violence.

The absorption volition crook to the CJNG's mechanisms of control, intimidation, financing, and recruitment that granted the cartel unprecedented operational capacity. Much of its spot stemmed from the weakening of long-standing rivals done the blase usage of societal media and artificial intelligence, state-of-the-art specialized weaponry, and a flexible interior structure.

The US State Department says that CJNG maintains a beingness and contacts successful “almost each of Mexico,” the American continent, and countries specified arsenic Australia, China, and assorted Southeast Asian nations. The bureau underscores the cartel's transgression versatility: In summation to fentanyl trafficking, it is progressive successful extortion, migrant smuggling, lipid and mineral theft, and illicit arms trade.

How Was the CJNG Born?

The CJNG traces its roots to the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquín Guzmán Loera, besides known arsenic “El Chapo.” Around 2007, this radical formed an equipped helping successful Jalisco nether the bid of Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel Villarreal. This was the Milenio Cartel, besides known arsenic Los Valencia. During this period, Guzmán's operatives were vying for power of Jalisco territories against Los Zetas, a splinter radical of the Gulf Cartel.

In its aboriginal years, the CJNG presented itself arsenic “Los Mata Zetas” (The Zeta Killers). According to the BBC, its archetypal documented quality occurred successful September 2011, erstwhile it claimed responsibility, done a video circulated connected societal media, for the find of 35 bodies successful Boca del Río, a municipality successful the authorities of Veracruz.

By then, the confederation with the Sinaloa Cartel had already fractured aft a confrontation with national forces that culminated successful 2010 with the decease of Ignacio Coronel. Leadership fell to Oseguera Cervantes, who spearheaded a accelerated enlargement successful methamphetamine accumulation and trafficking.

Cartels Embracing Tech

In little than 5 years, the CJNG displaced the Knights Templar from confederate Michoacán and expelled Los Zetas from bluish Jalisco and parts of Zacatecas. After Guzmán Loera's seizure and extradition, the radical strengthened its strategy by recruiting fiscal and chemic specialists to boost the manufacture of synthetic drugs and diversify its income done money-laundering schemes successful sectors specified arsenic livestock, mining, agriculture, and construction, arsenic good arsenic expanding extortion of small- and medium-size businesses.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) notes that the CJNG operates successful much than 40 countries and has a fiscal operation known arsenic Los Cuinis, headed by Abigael González Valencia, Oseguera's brother-in-law. This web coordinates money-laundering operations done planetary trade, cryptocurrencies, and links with Asian networks.

Several investigations person documented the usage of integer tools for recruitment and fraud. In 2024, Interpol warned that groups similar the CJNG were progressive successful large-scale fiscal scams supported by AI, earthy connection models, and cryptocurrencies. It besides detected the enlargement of quality trafficking for forced transgression enactment successful scam compounds.

A survey by El Colegio de México, successful collaboration with the Civic AI Lab astatine Northeastern University successful Boston, revealed that TikTok has go a recruitment instrumentality for Mexican cartels, including CJNG. The probe identified 100 progressive accounts linked to illicit organizations and categorized their contented arsenic recruitment, borderline crossings, amerciable businesses, prostitution, propaganda, and arms sales. Forty-seven percent of the accounts promoted the recruitment of caller members, and 31 percent disseminated propaganda messages. The study highlighted that the CJNG accounted for 54.3 percent of the detected accounts, followed by the Sinaloa Cartel and the Northeast Cartel.