U.S. Announces $102M in Rewards + New Charges Against 8 CJNG Leaders; Confirms Real 'El Doble R' Still At Large

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 and/or 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. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche: 'Narco-terrorist organizations like the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación are responsible for countless deaths to Americans.' 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. Corruption is cartel activity.' The listing confirmed Ricardo Ruiz Velasco — the real 'El Doble R'/'RR' — remains at large, correcting months of media conflation with Ángel Javier 'N,' a different, Mexicali-based CJNG figure who shared the same nickname and was arrested March 11, 2026.