Juan Carlos Valencia González, alias “El 03,” “El R-3,” or “El Pelón,” is the new leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to government sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. His rise and absolute control of the organization stem not only from his criminal lineage—he is the stepson of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”—but above all from the iron grip he wields over Elite Group, the most feared and efficient armed wing of the criminal organization. Valencia González’s power cannot be explained without considering the paramilitary deployment, firepower, and internal discipline he has imposed through Elite Group.
This instrument has consolidated and legitimized “El 03” as the supreme leader. From this position of power, the CJNG has perfected a model of armed franchises, the recruitment of former military personnel, training with Kaibiles (special forces), and a strategy of violent propaganda and social control. which has placed Valencia González at the epicenter of contemporary Mexican crime.
The CJNG’s Elite Group emerged as a response to the challenges the organization faced in its expansion across Mexican territory. By the end of the 2010s, the four-letter cartel was already one of the most powerful in the country, but it also had formidable enemies such as Los Zetas, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, and La Familia Michoacana. These disputes demanded a distinct operational force, capable of carrying out direct attacks, defending strategic territories, and operating with military discipline.
