Meet the rumored new Jalisco Cartel boss — a Californian from Orange County

The head has finally been cut off the snake and Americans would be forgiven for thinking peace is set to follow.

But, after Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was killed over the weekend, there is a standout successor for the new boss of the Jalisco Cartel — and he was born in California.

Juan Carlos Valencia González has emerged as a key contender to take over the $20 billion criminal empire after “El Mencho” died in a Mexican special forces raid on Sunday.

The 41-year-old is the slain chief’s stepson. According to law enforcement, his mother Rosalinda “La Jefa” González Valencia was married to the drug kingpin and was a major player on the financial side of the cartel.

Some analysts suggest she herself could take over from her late husband, but most experts agree she will throw her weight behind her son.

Juan Carlos, who is also known as El Pelon, Tricky Tres and O3, is a dual American and Mexican citizen, having been born in Santa Ana, Orange County, in 1984.

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Many details about his early life remain unknown, but he was born while his cartel-linked parents Rosalinda and Armando Valencia Cornelio lived in California.

El Pelon’s alleged drug ties were blown into the open by the DEA in 2020. An investigation found he was responsible for making and selling “tons of narcotics” as well as behind violent crimes since 2007.

Videos surfaced in July 2020 showing the armed wing of the Jalisco Cartel, with the then Mexican Defense Secretary identifying one of those in the footage as Juan Carlos.

In October that year, the US government returned a federal indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and using a firearm during a narcotics transaction.

The Americans also put a $5 million bounty on his head for information leading to his arrest or conviction. A State Department bio for him from 2021 lists him as: “5ft 9in, 170lbs, brown hair and brown eyes.”

Announcing the reward in 2021, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said the probe into Juan Carlos was being called “Operation Pinky and the Brain.”

She said at the time: “Today’s reward announcement underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to pursuing the individuals and organizations that are causing the most harm in our communities.”

Juan Carlos was also noted on the National Counter Terrorism Center as “de facto second in command” of the cartel behind his father-in-law before he was killed.

Unconfirmed social media reports since Sunday’s killing suggested he had already been named as successor to his step father, but they could not be corroborated.

Security analyst David Saucedo claimed on Monday Juan Carlos “still lacks influence among other cartel commanders” to succeed.

If the Jalisco Cartel is to stay in the family, there are few options other than Juan Carlos for the criminal network.

El Mencho’s older brother Antonio Oseguera Cervantes was taken into US custody along with 28 other cartel leaders last year.

Meanwhile his son Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez got life plus 30 years and was forced to hand over $6 billion in drug cash last year for his crimes.

Whoever seizes power, experts fear when the cartel reorganizes the violence seen across Mexico on Sunday will flare again.

Saucedo told CNN: “This didn’t seem to be just an operation to capture ‘El Mencho,’ but to exterminate him, to use lethal force to bring him down.

“In the criminal underworld, such actions are not simply overlooked. The reaction is what we’re seeing now: narco-terrorism, blockades, and fires in grocery stores across Mexico.”

“El Mencho” died in custody after security forces captured him in the wake of a shootout with his bodyguards on Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco state.

Cartel fighters brought Mexico’s second-largest city, Jalisco’s state capital, Guadalajara, to a standstill, with roadblocks closing off much of the city and canceling flights.

The violence was deployed to paralyze economic activity and damage the national and international image of the government of leftist President Claudia Scheinbaum, Saucedo added.

At least 30 people are believed to have died so far in the fighting, which has affected some two-thirds of Mexico.