The dismantling of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel’s (CJNG) “office” in Spain revealed an operational collaboration between the cartel led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” and the Amato-Pagano clan, one of the most influential branches of the Italian mafia known as the Camorra.
On November 18, agents of the Spanish National Police, in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and authorities in the Netherlands, dismantled what they call the CJNG’s “office” in several cities, including Madrid, Ávila, Bilbao, Valencia, and Toledo.
The investigation began this year after confirming the introduction of cocaine into Spain hidden in heavy industrial machinery. The business network of one of the cartel’s main Spanish targets proved crucial in the development of the entire logistical network. Once in Spain, the drugs were stored on estates in the mountains of Madrid and in rural areas of Ávila, chosen for the privacy and security they offered.
For international transport, the “El Mencho” Cartel used estates in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo), where the drugs were received and packaged for shipment to Italy. In September, the first cocaine shipment to Italy was detected and dismantled. It was directed by a boss of the Neapolitan Camorra belonging to the Amato-Pagano clan, who played a central role in the transnational operation.
