El Mencho and R3: The family trail that links the Jalisco New Generation Cartel bosses in California

There are areas of Santa Ana, California, where English is a secondary language. The proliferation of taco stands, Western wear stores, money transfer businesses, and butcher’s shops reflects the deep influence of Mexican culture. In this atmosphere of nostalgia, surrounded by dozens of relatives who emigrated from Michoacán, Juan Carlos Valencia González, who is poised to become the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), took his first steps. On this side of the border, some don’t see him as a feared 41-year-old drug lord, but rather as a close relative about whom they speak in hushed tones.

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