CJNG Co-Founder 'El 85' Pleads Guilty to US Drug Trafficking — Sentencing July 31

Erick Valencia-Salazar, 49, alias 'El 85,' co-founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) alongside El Mencho, pleaded guilty in US federal court to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine for importation into the United States. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison; sentencing is set for July 31, 2026 before Chief Judge James Boasberg. Valencia-Salazar later broke from CJNG to establish La Nueva Plaza, a rival Jalisco-based group, but his origins at CJNG's founding make his plea a significant legal milestone — coming just 44 days after El Mencho's killing by Mexican forces in Tapalpa. The guilty plea adds to mounting legal pressure on the organization's succession leadership under O3 and represents the second major CJNG accountability action in two months after El Mencho's elimination.