DOJ Charges Mexican National For Allegedly Supporting Terrorist Gang

The Justice Department on Wednesday indicted a Mexican national for providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization for involvement with the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

The indictment, unsealed in the Western District of Texas, marks the first case in the nation of its kind, the DOJ noted in a press release. The charges include supplying grenades to the cartel, as well as participating in alien smuggling, firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and narcotics distribution on its behalf.

“Cartels like CJNG are terrorist groups that wreak havoc in American communities and are responsible for countless lives lost in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This announcement demonstrates the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to securing our borders and protecting Americans through effective prosecution.”

According to court documents, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 39, of Mexico, conspired with others to provide, and attempted to provide, grenades to cartel, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Navarro-Sanchez also faces charges of conspiracy to smuggle and transport undocumented immigrants within the United States, straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, conspiracy to smuggle bulk cash, and conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, the DOJ said.

Two co-defendants were also charged.

Luis Carlos Davalos-Lopez, 27, of Mexico, is accused of conspiracy to smuggle and transport undocumented immigrants, as well as straw purchasing and firearms trafficking. Gustavo Castro-Medina, 28, of Mexico, is charged with straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

“On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State announced the designation of eight international cartels, including CJNG, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and specially designated global terrorists,” said the DOJ. “This designation makes available much stronger criminal charges in the fight to secure our nation’s borders. CJNG is a transnational criminal organization that controls a significant portion of the narcotics trafficking trade and has a presence in nearly every part of Mexico and dozens of other countries, including the United States.”

The press release added: “In addition to trafficking fentanyl, CJNG engages in money laundering, bribery, extortion of migrants, taxing of migrant smugglers, and other criminal activities, including acts of violence and intimidation.”

According to the State Department, the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) has carried out attacks against Mexican military and police forces using military-grade weapons, deployed drones to drop explosives on law enforcement, and orchestrated assassinations or attempted assassinations of Mexican government officials, said the release.

“We will never allow criminal gangs and cartels to terrorize American communities,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. “The days of unchecked gang and cartel violence are over.”

“As alleged, the defendant engaged in multiple of the most insidious kinds of criminal activity: firearms trafficking, narcotics trafficking, human and bulk cash smuggling, and even providing grenades to CJNG,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates the Criminal Division’s hard work and commitment to eliminate cartels and foreign terrorist organizations like CJNG,” he added.

Meanwhile, Freddy Arnoldo Salazar Flores of Guatemala, a representative of the Central American Parliament, made his first appearance in federal court in the District of Columbia last week after being indicted on one count of conspiring with others between 2010 and 2017 to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the DOJ said in a separate release.

According to court documents, Salazar Flores, Samayoa-Recinos, and their drug trafficking organization, known as Los Huistas, served as a key link in the illicit cocaine supply chain—moving the drug from South America to Mexican cartels, and eventually into the United States, the DOJ said.

“Between 2010 and 2014, the defendants allegedly received and transported approximately 50 metric tons of cocaine into Mexico for further distribution into the United States,” the DOJ said.