U.S. Announces $102M in Rewards + New Charges Against 8 CJNG Leaders; Doble R Status Corrected

The U.S. State Department, DOJ, DEA, FBI, HSI, IRS, and CBP jointly announced reward offers totaling up to $102 million for information leading to the arrest/conviction of eight CJNG leaders and financial facilitators on August 5, 2026 — the largest coordinated reward package of the post-Mencho campaign. Rewards: Juan Carlos Valencia González ('El 03'/'Pelón') — $25M (raised from $5M); Audias Flores Silva ('El Jardinero') — $15M; Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytán ('El Sapo') — $15M; Julio Alberto Castillo Rodríguez ('El Chorro,' El Mencho's son-in-law and Manzanillo plaza chief) — $15M; Ricardo Ruiz Velasco ('Tripa,' commander of CJNG's special-forces Grupo Élite) — $10M; Julio César Montero Pinzón ('El Tarjetas') — $10M; Carlos Andrés Rivera Varela ('La Firma,' linked to CJNG's timeshare-fraud network) — $10M; and Griselda Margarita Arredondo Pinzón (Montero Pinzón's sister, fraud-scheme facilitator, FBI-led case) — $2M. The announcement confirmed Ricardo Ruiz Velasco — the real 'El Doble R'/'RR,' CJNG's Jalisco special-forces commander — remains at large, correcting months of conflation with Ángel Javier 'N,' a different CJNG figure arrested in Mexicali on March 11, 2026 who shared the same nickname. DEA Administrator Terry Cole: 'If you traffic deadly drugs, profit from the suffering of others, or use public office to protect the cartels, this is your warning.' Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche: 'Narco-terrorist organizations like the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación are responsible for countless deaths to Americans.'