Not Just ‘El Mencho’: These are the Other CJNG Leaders Who Have Been Killed in Tapalpa, Jalisco

In recent years, Tapalpa has been the scene of multiple operations targeting important leaders of the criminal organization.

Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, was until February 22nd the most wanted drug trafficker in Mexico and a top priority target for the United States government. Years after rumors circulated about his supposed death from an illness, the Mexican Ministry of National Defense (Defensa) confirmed that the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) died following a confrontation in the municipality of Tapalpa.

Before gaining national notoriety due to the Armed Forces operation, Tapalpa—whose name means “land of colors”—was already recognized as a major ecotourism destination in the region. The Salto del Nogal waterfall, its abundant forests, its popular festivals, and its artisanal production earned the municipality its inclusion in the Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns) program in 2002.

Tapalpa was El Mencho’s last refuge, but the supreme leader of the CJNG (Jalisco New Generation Cartel) isn’t the only member of the organization that authorities have apprehended in this municipality. What other important arrests have occurred there? MILENIO tells you.

Erick Valencia Salazar, El Mencho’s former partner

On September 4, 2022, a series of patrols by the Mexican Army and the National Guard led to the arrest in Tapalpa of Erick Valencia Salazar, alias El 85, who is identified as a co-founder of the CJNG and a former partner of El Mencho.

According to the report issued at the time by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), intelligence work helped locate this criminal leader, who was with two other people.

At that time, El 85 was wanted on an arrest warrant for extradition to the United States, where he faced charges of cocaine trafficking. At the time of his arrest, authorities seized approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills, 750 grams of methamphetamine, four handguns, a rifle, and various doses of what appeared to be cocaine.

A decade earlier, in 2012, El 85 had been arrested in Guadalajara on charges linking him to organized crime and possession of firearms restricted to the military. However, a series of apparent due process violations led a district judge in Jalisco to order his release in 2017.

Valencia Salazar was one of the 29 criminals that Mexico extradited to the U.S. government on February 27, 2025. In subsequent months, his lawyers reported that he had begun a negotiation process with U.S. authorities, without revealing any details.

As of February 2026, “El 85” remained detained at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“El CR,” wanted for the disappearance of a military officer

On December 10, 2022, the disappearance of Colonel José Isidro Grimaldo Muñoz in Jalisco mobilized federal forces. The officer was on vacation in Tapalpa, and days after communication with him was lost, the Ministry of Defense revealed that the CJNG cartel may have been behind the incident.

Federal forces arrest Juan Carlos Pizano Ornelas, alias “El CR”

Authorities learned that the regional cartel leader in the area was a man identified as Juan Carlos Pizano Ornelas, alias “El CR,” whose area of ​​influence extended to municipalities such as San Gabriel and Zapotitlán de Vadillo.

El CR was arrested on November 25, 2023, in the Lomas del Poleo neighborhood, a residential area located a couple of kilometers from Tapalpa’s main square.

The arrest involved members of the National Guard and the Mexican Army, who were supported by two helicopters to repel the criminal group’s attack. In response to the operation, multiple road blockades were reported in the southern part of the state.

A few days after his capture, El CR was formally charged with organized crime, illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, and magazines—all for the exclusive use of the Armed Forces—as well as drug trafficking and attempted homicide.

More than two years after his arrest, no updates have been made public regarding the criminal proceedings initiated against Pizano Ornelas.

Source: Milenio