The Arrest Attempt of CJNG Leader, Juan Carlos González Valencia ‘El R-3’

Mica for cartelinsider.com

On Friday, February 16, there were multiple disturbances registered in Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, due to the alleged arrest of a criminal leader from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). This resulted in an armed confrontation between members of organized crime and the National Guard (GN).

The state governor, Enrique Alfaro, confirmed the events and indicated that a member of the National Guard was injured while trying to repel the attack. Along with the confrontation – which took place on the stretch of road from Ciudad Guzman to Tonaya – roadblocks were reported.

Ricardo Sánchez Beruben, head of the State Strategic Security Coordination, reported that the blockades took place at three locations: the exit to Zapoltitic, the Ciudad Guzmán-El Grullo highway, and the entrance through the free road at La Laguna.

It was revealed at the time that these events would have been from the alleged capture of Juan Carlos González Valencia, alias ‘El R-3’. He is identified as a high-ranking member of the CJNG, given that he is the stepson of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’, the top leader of the criminal organization. I believe that he will be the next supreme leader of CJNG.

However, sources from the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena) stated that these violent events were not a result of the arrest of ‘El R-3’, so they ruled out the capture of this criminal operator, according to reports from El Universal.

It was indicated that it was a “circumstantial aggression against the National Guard” and not an operation to arrest a criminal leader.

The alleged arrest of ‘El Mencho’s’ stepson is also ruled out because his name does not appear in the National Register of Detentions. Regarding the events that took place in Ciudad Guzmán, the authorities did not announce any arrests.

Juan Carlos Valencia González was born on September 12, 1984 in Santa Ana, California, in the United States (USA). According to data from the Department of State, he is currently 39 years old. He is the son of Rosalinda González Valencia, wife of ‘El Mencho’.

The neighboring country also identifies him by the aliases of ‘El Pelón’, ‘El JP’, ‘Tricky Tres’, and/or ‘O3’. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) holds him responsible for the manufacturing, transportation, and distribution of multiple tons of illicit substances on US territory, therefore facing charges in the District of Columbia for drug trafficking and use of firearms.

The Secretary of Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, has stated that ‘El R-3’ serves as one of the leaders of the CJNG’s Elite Group, whose presence extends to the states of Michoacán, Zacatecas, and Guanajuato (in the latter, there is a dispute with the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel).

The US Government is offering a reward of up to USD 5 million in exchange for information that leads to the capture of ‘El R-3’. As for ‘El Mencho’, the Department of State is offering up to USD 10 million. However, neither of them has been successfully arrested.

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Mica

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