‘El 85’ Vs ‘El Mencho’: Which Was The Cartel Founded By Erick Valencia Salazar After His Split From The CJNG?

Mica for cartelinsider.com

On the evening of February 27, it was announced that a federal judge authorized the extradition of Erick Valencia Salazar, also known as ‘El 85’, who is wanted by the United States for his alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking to that country since 2003.

This individual is identified as one of the founders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and even became a leader of the organization alongside Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho’. However, a break between them motivated ‘El 85’ to create his own criminal group to confront his former partner.

According to the data gathered by the US Department of State, Valencia Salazar – who also used the name of Saúl Ulloa Cuevas – may have been born on March 11, 1977 or November 19, 1982 in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Presumably, when he was young he worked for the Millennium Cartel under the leadership of Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, also known as ‘Nacho Coronel’. After his death, the cartel underwent a fragmentation from which the CJNG was born, led by ‘El 85’ and ‘El Mencho’.

‘El 85’ took command of the organization and tried to stop the advancement of Los Zetas in Jalisco. However, he was arrested on March 9, 2012 in Zapopan by army soldiers. His arrest triggered a violent reaction that left a toll of 25 burnt vehicles and at least eight people killed. In his eyes, it had all been a betrayal by Oseguera Cervantes.

With Valencia Salazar in prison, ‘El Mencho’ managed to establish his men throughout the state and maintained his expansion to states such as Michoacán, Morelos, Guerrero, and Veracruz.

However, the hegemony of the CJNG was threatened at the end of 2017, when a federal judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to keep ‘El 85’ behind bars for the crime of organized crime. In addition, the judge determined that there were violations of due process. On December 29, 2017, Valencia Salazar was released and declared a frontal war against ‘El Mencho’.

Together with Carlos Sánchez Martínez, aka ‘El Cholo’, Erick Valencia founded the New Plaza Cartel (CNP) with the intention of displacing ‘El Mencho’ and taking control of important territories in Jalisco.

According to the journalist Ricardo Ravelo, in his book “The Master of Jalisco,” ‘El Cholo’ was a close friend of Oseguera Cervantes, but his desire for greater territorial control led him to attempt to assassinate him.

Finally, ‘El Cholo’ was captured by hitmen of the CJNG and killed in March 2021. On the other hand, ‘El 85’ was recaptured in September 2022 in Tapalpa, while on vacation. Since then, he has been imprisoned in the Altiplano Penitentiary in the State of Mexico, and now faces the possibility of being extradited by the Attorney General’s Office (FGR).

Regarding the New Plaza Cartel, military reports indicate that the man in charge would be Juan Pablo Sánchez Martínez – who shares last names with ‘El Cholo’ – and would have a presence in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (ZMG), specifically in the municipalities of El Salto, Tonalá, Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara, Chapala, Juanacatlán, Poncitlán, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, and Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos.

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Mica

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