After it was revealed last Thursday, July 2, that the United States Department of Justice had formally charged Juan José “Juanjo” Farías Mendoza, 31, and Israel “Papo” Vega Farías, 37, son and nephew of Juan José Farías Álvarez, alias “Grandpa” Farías, with trafficking enormous quantities of methamphetamine into the United States and supporting a foreign terrorist organization, Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), said this Friday that both men already have arrest warrants in Mexico.
A federal grand jury in Washington indicted Juan José Farías Mendoza and Israel Vega Farías, alleged leaders of Carteles Unidos, on charges of drug trafficking, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and firearms offenses. If convicted, both face life imprisonment as part of a U.S. Department of Justice offensive against the command structure of the group based in Michoacán.
The indictment was filed yesterday in the District of Columbia and names two men from Tepalcatepec, Michoacán: Farías Mendoza, 31, and Vega Farías, 37. According to the Department of Justice, the former is identified as the son and the latter as the nephew of Juan José Farías Álvarez, alias “Abuelo” (Grandfather), identified by U.S. authorities as the cartel’s top leader.
