CJNG cartel members sought Czech arms, US says

The US Justice Department unsealed indictments Tuesday against four alleged members of Mexico's Jalisco New Generation cartel, accusing them of seeking to buy arms and ammunition in the Czech Republic.

US officials said the four alleged members of the cartel, known by its Spanish acronym CJNG, were arrested in the Czech Republic in June.

Two defendants, Edgar Alejandro Lopez Velasco, 44, and Jose Miguel Alvarado Morales, 23, have been extradited to the United States and appeared in court in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, officials said.

Extradition is pending for the other two accused, Noe Diaz Jimenez, 33, and Leobardo Gaxiola Lopez, 63, also known as “Bado,” officials said.

The four are charged with drug importation conspiracy, firearms trafficking and other offenses that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The Justice Department said Lopez Velasco and Diaz Jimenez negotiated the sale of weapons in the Czech Republic “to commit acts of violence against rival cartels, civilians, police forces, and military personnel in Mexico.” It said the weapons included European machine guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortar launchers and ammunition.

The department said the defendants paid for the weapons with fentanyl and methamphetamine imported into the United States for distribution.

The United States last week announced charges against several high-ranking CJNG members and increased reward money for the capture of its leaders to more than $100 million. CJNG was designated a “foreign terrorist organization” by the Trump administration last year and is accused of running a global network trafficking in fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.