A founder of one of Mexico's most powerful and violent drug cartels has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to a federal narcotics conspiracy charge. Erick Valencia Salazar co-founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel with Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as "El Mencho" who was killed by the Mexican army in February. Valencia Salazar faces a mandatory-minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison after pleading guilty on Tuesday in Washington to conspiring to distribute cocaine for U.S. importation. Chief Judge James Boasberg is scheduled to sentence him on July 31.
The violence that followed the killing of a cartel leader in Mexico is fueling fears that the bloodshed could hurt tourism ahead of the FIFA World Cup later this year. Maria Dolores Aguirre's corner store has lived off the tourism that flows into her cobblestoned town of Tapalpa in the mountains of Mexico's state of Jalisco. Then the Mexican army killed the country's most powerful drug lord Sunday just a few kilometers from her home. The killing sparked a surge in violence and put the country on edge. Now Aguirre and others are worried that the clashes between the cartel and security forces will hurt their livelihoods.
By MEGAN JANETSKY and MARÍA VERZA Associated Press
At least 73 people died in Mexico's attempt to capture the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the violent aftermath of his death. That's according to authorities who spoke Monday as much of the country feared another wave of violence. The body count taken by security officials included security forces, suspected cartel members and others. Officials did not offer details, and the circumstances of most of the deaths are unclear. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, called "El Mencho," was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico. It is known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against Mexican government officials.
