US charges 5 CJNG leaders, raises reward to $25 million
What's new: prosecutors tied some defendants to an alleged timeshare scam that targeted elderly Americans alongside drug and weapons offenses.
The Justice Department unsealed charges against five alleged senior members of Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, in a broad U.S. case spanning drug trafficking, weapons offenses and fraud. Those charged include Julio Alberto Castillo Rodriguez, Hugo Gonzalo Mendoza Gaytan, Ricardo Ruiz Velasco, Julio Cesar Montero Pinzon and Carlos Andres Rivera Varela. Prosecutors accused Castillo Rodriguez and Mendoza Gaytan of sending cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States. Officials also said three of the men were linked to a timeshare fraud scheme that preyed on elderly Americans. None of the five is in U.S. custody. The State Department separately raised its reward to $25 million for information leading to the capture of alleged new CJNG leader Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, known as El Pelon.