O3 (Juan Carlos Valencia González) Reportedly Named New CJNG Leader — US NCTC Concurs

An anonymous CJNG cartel source reported that Juan Carlos Valencia González 'O3,' El Mencho's stepson and commander of CJNG's paramilitary Grupo Élite, has been named the new cartel leader. The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and State Department had assessed him as 'de facto second-in-command' prior to El Mencho's death. O3 was born September 12, 1984, in Santa Ana, California — giving him U.S. citizenship that creates legal complications for U.S. targeting operations. With El Doble R arrested, El Tuli dead, and El Sapo's status unconfirmed, O3 faces reduced internal competition. However, El Jardinero (Audias Flores Silva), who commands significant plazas in Jalisco, Nayarit, Zacatecas, and Colima and served as El Mencho's longtime security chief, remains a rival power center. Mexican authorities have not officially confirmed the succession. Security analysts caution that O3 is viewed by some cartel veterans as 'too young' and lacking in experience for full organizational consolidation.