Harfuch confirms Juan Carlos Valencia faces extradition order and is identified as new CJNG leader

Juan Carlos Valencia González faces an extradition order and holds dual nationality, Mexico’s security chief Omar García Harfuch confirmed. U.S. authorities identify Valencia González as the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG.

Harfuch addressed the issue during a morning news conference in Zacatecas. Asked whether U.S. authorities had requested Valencia González’s detention for possible extradition, he replied, “Yes, he also has an extradition order and he has dual nationality.”

The Mexican government also agrees with the U.S. assessment that Valencia González currently occupies a leadership position within the criminal organization. Harfuch said federal authorities had identified several regional leaders when they first began publicly discussing the group’s structure.

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Yes, he also has an extradition order and he has dual nationality.

He described Valencia González as the most prominent of those regional figures. “From the beginning, we mentioned here at a morning conference that there were regional leaders, and he is the one who stands out the most among the leaders of the Jalisco Cartel,” Harfuch said.

The confirmation follows U.S. statements naming Valencia González as the CJNG’s new leader after changes in the organization’s command structure. Harfuch said Mexican authorities had already placed him within the CJNG’s regional structure, but the U.S. designation has given his position greater prominence.

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From the beginning, we mentioned here at a morning conference that there were regional leaders, and he is the one who stands out the most among the leaders of the Jalisco Cartel.