Bogota, Colombia – On Sunday, Mexican authorities killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), sparking violence in the country.
CJNG is one of the world’s most sophisticated criminal organizations, with its influence extending to countries such as Colombia, where it supplies cocaine destined for the United States.
But how significant is the cartel’s presence in Colombia, and what impact will El Mencho’s killing have on the South American country?
Who are the Jalisco New Generation Cartel?
CJNG was created as a spinoff of the Milenio Cartel around 2011 and has become one of the world’s largest illegal manufacturers of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
It operates in all 50 U.S. states and 40 countries around the world, earning billions of dollars in profits each year through drug trafficking.
The CJNG has developed a reputation for particularly brutal tactics, according to InSight Crime, an organized crime think tank. Since the cartels took control of Jalisco, reports of murders, enforced disappearances, and mass burials have increased.
In addition to manufacturing and selling synthetic drugs, CJNG is also one of the major importers of cocaine into the United States.
How active are Colombian cartels?
Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine and a major source of cocaine for Mexican cartels such as CJNG.
In recent years, pharmaceutical supply chains have become increasingly fragmented, with each stage of production and export controlled by different actors. Therefore, CJNG’s activities in Colombia are complex.
“The short answer is that neither the CJNG nor any other Mexican criminal group maintains a permanent presence in Colombia,” said Henry Shuldiner, an investigator with InSight Crime.
He explained that it is difficult for Mexican cartels to establish themselves in Colombia because of the widespread presence of other armed groups in the country, including the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Colombian Guyanese Army (EGC) and the now-disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.
“Rather than deploying armed members to protect cocaine labs or directly participating in the shipment of cocaine to Mexico, their presence is better understood through their role as ‘couriers,’” Shuldiner added.
CJNG sends these business envoys to Colombia to purchase the cocaine, which is then shipped north to Mexico and the United States.
According to analysts, the cartel has partnerships with certain Colombian armed groups from which it purchases drugs.
“These alliances are changing quite a bit,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, deputy director for Latin America at the International Crisis Group. But she added that the CJNG is known to do business with the Central Chiefs of Staff (EMC), a FARC dissident group that has a strong presence in the Colombian Amazon and the Pacific region.
How will El Mecho’s fall be felt in Colombia?
Analysts say El Mencho’s death could have knock-on effects on supply chains in places like Colombia, but they play down the extent of that risk.
Dickinson pointed to the potential for violence if CJNG’s role as a buyer of cocaine changed, saying, “I think that if the market were to be reorganized in any way, that would be a risk that governments in the Andean region would be particularly wary of.”
“Still, I don’t think we want to overstate the risk,” she added. Due to the sophisticated nature of the cocaine market, even if CJNG ceases purchasing cocaine due to a split or leadership struggle, business will continue as usual.
Shuldiner also pointed out that the Jalisco cartel’s race for succession does not necessarily mean the criminal group will stop buying cocaine. “There may be challenges in securing leadership in Mexico, but business will still continue.
With CJNG’s future unclear, Colombia now appears to have bigger problems at home. With the election fast approaching, authorities are increasingly concerned about the threat posed by domestic criminal organizations than thousands of miles away.
Featured Image Description: El Mencho Death Poster
Featured image source: U.S. Department of State
