Day 32: 'El 03' Succession Consolidation Continues; CJNG Criminal Operations Persist Under Council Structure

Day 32 since El Mencho's killing at Tapalpa, Jalisco (February 22, 2026). Juan Carlos Valencia González, alias 'El 03,' continues to consolidate his position as CJNG's de facto leader, confirmed by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, State Department, and multiple intelligence assessments. However, security analysts maintain that the cartel is operating under a criminal council structure rather than singular leadership — consistent with the governance model El Mencho established during his period of kidney disease and frequent dialysis treatments. CJNG's franchise model, which allows local cells to operate semi-autonomously under the cartel brand, continues to function across its reported 27-state presence. Drug trafficking operations, fentanyl production, and port control operations at Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas are assessed to be largely continuing under existing operational cadres. Mexico's security forces have arrested or killed 37+ high-value targets since February 22, but no senior-command-level captures have been announced this week.