Valencia Salazar, 49, of Santa Clara, California, entered his guilty plea on Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., according to the Associated Press. The case stems from a federal narcotics conspiracy charge tied to cocaine distribution intended for importation into the United States.

Prosecutors said the man co-founded the Jalisco New Generation Cartel with Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as “El Mencho.” Prosecutors also described Valencia Salazar as a senior figure within the CJNG, with duties that included recruitment and obtaining information about cartel rivals.

The AP report said Valencia Salazar faces sentencing by Chief Judge James Boasberg on July 31. Federal prosecutors said the charge carries a mandatory-minimum prison term of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.

U.S. Justice Department officials said the CJNG has caused harm in the United States. In a statement, A. Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said the cartel has inflicted “immeasurable damage” on the U.S., adding that Valencia Salazar helped further “rampant violence in Mexico” at the expense of people’s lives and community safety.

The plea comes after the government pursued Valencia Salazar for years. A grand jury indicted him on the conspiracy charge in 2018, and in February 2025 Mexican authorities sent him to the United States as part of an initial group of 29 drug lords.

The report also said the U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Valencia Salazar’s arrest or conviction. It described additional history in Mexico, including arrests and custody decisions involving the Mexican military and a judge who ordered his release in connection with alleged procedural flaws.

According to the AP, Valencia Salazar was arrested twice in Mexico—first in 2012, when he was detained by the military near Guadalajara, and later after a judge’s release and subsequent recapture in 2022. It said the recapture occurred in Tapalpa, the same town where “El Mencho” was captured and killed.

The case also reflects the broader U.S. focus on major cartel operations. The AP reported that last year President Donald Trump’s administration designated the CJNG and other cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Fabiola Sanchez contributed to this report from Mexico City.