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CJNG And Their Supermarket Hustle In Sacramento
Published an hour ago
Description
Federal investigators uncovered an alleged cocaine trafficking and money laundering operation operating out of La Victoria Supermercado, a grocery store in Sacramento, California, with connections to Mexico's notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). According to a federal criminal complaint detailed by the Sacramento Bee in April 2022, store owner Jose Manuel Chavez Zepeda and associate Denis Zacarias Ponce Castillo were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of at least 500 grams of the drug. Investigators alleged that Chavez used the supermarket as a meeting location, distribution hub, and front for laundering narcotics proceeds destined for associates in Mexico. The operation reportedly relied on a Mexican supplier known as “Compadre,” who had connections to CJNG and supplied cocaine marked with the letters “NG.” Authorities alleged that the drugs were smuggled into Los Angeles before being transported through Central California and distributed throughout the Sacramento region. Ponce, known by the nickname “El Ciego,” allegedly operated as one of Chavez's principal distributors, while another associate, Mario Naranjo Gonzalez, helped facilitate drug shipments and the movement of money.
The investigation, which began in April 2016, involved the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and local law enforcement agencies, using confidential informants, surveillance, recorded conversations, and monitored drug transactions to document the alleged trafficking network. Investigators described a June 2021 transaction in which Chavez and Ponce allegedly sold half a kilogram of cocaine to an informant for $7,000, while additional surveillance revealed the movement of substantial quantities of narcotics and cash across California and into Washington state. Authorities also documented more than $400,000 in suspected drug proceeds delivered to Gonzalez during three trips and seized nearly $80,000 concealed inside a vehicle during an October 2021 traffic stop. Although Chavez was accused of laundering money through his supermarket, he was not separately charged with money laundering in the original complaint. Both defendants faced potential sentences of up to 40 years in federal prison and fines reaching $5 million if convicted. The case illustrated how a major Mexican trafficking organization's supply network could allegedly operate through an otherwise ordinary neighborhood business, using legitimate commercial activity to conceal an extensive narcotics distribution operation.
to contact me:
bobbycapucci@protonmail.com
The investigation, which began in April 2016, involved the FBI, DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and local law enforcement agencies, using confidential informants, surveillance, recorded conversations, and monitored drug transactions to document the alleged trafficking network. Investigators described a June 2021 transaction in which Chavez and Ponce allegedly sold half a kilogram of cocaine to an informant for $7,000, while additional surveillance revealed the movement of substantial quantities of narcotics and cash across California and into Washington state. Authorities also documented more than $400,000 in suspected drug proceeds delivered to Gonzalez during three trips and seized nearly $80,000 concealed inside a vehicle during an October 2021 traffic stop. Although Chavez was accused of laundering money through his supermarket, he was not separately charged with money laundering in the original complaint. Both defendants faced potential sentences of up to 40 years in federal prison and fines reaching $5 million if convicted. The case illustrated how a major Mexican trafficking organization's supply network could allegedly operate through an otherwise ordinary neighborhood business, using legitimate commercial activity to conceal an extensive narcotics distribution operation.
to contact me:
bobbycapucci@protonmail.com