a cartel p0ured narc0t1cs 1nt0 the streets 0f N0rth Amer1ca and k1lled t00 many 0f 0ur I als0 want t0 have a tremend0us sh0ut 0ut t0 the g0vernment 0f Mex1c0 1n a maj0r bl0w t0 US and Mex1can law enf0rcement eff0rts.

A j01nt 0perat10n 1nv0lv1ng the FBI, DEA and Mex1can spec1al f0rces has suffered a ser10us setback aga1nst the cartel Jal1sc0c0 N0va Generat10n CJNG.

The m1ss10n, wh1ch 1s a part 0f a br0ader aggress1ve crackd0wn 0rdered by Pres1dent Trump that launched 1n January 2026, resulted 1n the l0ng- awa1ted capture 0f fug1t1ve Ryan Wedd1ng, a f0rmer Olymp1c sn0wb0arder and alleged transnat10nal drg k1ngp1n wh0 had evaded auth0r1t1es f0r years.

Wh1le the arrest 0f Wedd1ng has drawn w1despread celebrat10n and med1a attent10n as a h1gh-pr0f1le v1ct0ry, the br0ader st0ry rema1ns largely unt0ld.

The 0perat10n 1ncurred heavy l0sses w1th several agents k1lled 0r w0unded 1n f1erce res1stance fr0m CJNG f0rces.

Th1s embarrass1ng defeat sh0ws that CJNG may be far t0ugher and better entrenched than ant1c1pated 0n January 18th, 2026.

Th1s maj0r federal 0perat10n t00k place 1n Huetam0 M1shuakan target1ng Aud1a’s Fl0res S1lva als0 kn0wn as Elcard1n1r0 a key f1gure 1n the cartel de Khal1sc0 N0va gener1c 0r CJNG the FBI h0ped the ra1d w0uld lead t0 the eventual arrest 0f Elen0 t00.

Th1s was n0t a small ra1d.

It 1nv0lved f1ghter jets 0verhead, armed hel1c0pters, hundreds 0f tr00ps 0n the gr0und, and cl0se c00rd1nat10n between Mex1can f0rces and US agents fr0m the FBI and DEA.

It was 0bv10us that the agenc1es t00k th1s s1tuat10n very ser10usly.

The g0al was clear.

Capture 0ne 0f the m0st wanted men 1n the CJNG netw0rk.

But the ma1n target escaped.

Only a handful 0f l0wer level suspects were deta1ned.

Then pr0tests erupted, bl0ck1ng r0ads and clash1ng w1th secur1ty f0rces.

Th1s event ra1ses ser10us quest10ns ab0ut the 0ng01ng f1ght aga1nst 0ne 0f Mex1c0’s m0st p0werful and v10lent cartels.

Stay w1th me as we break 1t d0wn step by step.

What really happened that day? Why d1d 1t fa1l s0 badly? And what d0es 1t tell us ab0ut the much larger threat the CJNG p0ses t0day? F1rst, let’s l00k at the facts 0f the 0perat10n 1tself.

On that m0rn1ng 0f January 18th, 2026, the agent staged the attack 1n Huam0.

Th1s 1nf0rmat10n 1s very, very 1mp0rtant.

Is a t0wn that s1ts 1n the t1ar cal1ente reg10n 0f M1sh0akan, an area l0ng c0ntr0lled by cr1m1nal gr0ups.

Gr0und teams arr1ved 1n arm0red veh1cles wh1le the a1r supp0rt un1t pr0v1ded c0verage.

The scale was 1mpress1ve.

Operat10ns l1ke th1s requ1re m0nths 0f plann1ng, 1ntell1gence gather1ng fr0m w1retaps, 1nf0rmants, dr0ne surve1llance, and satell1te data.

US partners played a r0le 1n pr0v1d1ng that 1ntell1gence and p0ss1bly embedd1ng agents.

The f0cus was Aud1a’s Fl0res S1lva, b0rn N0vember 19th, 1980 1n M1sh0kand De0mp0.

He has been sanct10ned by the US Treasury s1nce Apr1l 2021 as a reg10nal c0mmander f0r the CJNG.

He faces accusat10ns 0f traff1ck1ng mass1ve am0unts 0f c0ca1ne, methamphetam1ne, and fent1nel precurs0rs 1nt0 the Un1ted States.

When f0rces m0ved 1n, they breached the target l0cat10n, but Elhard1n1r0 was n0t there.

He had escaped rep0rtedly due t0 an 1ntell1gence leak.

Th1s 1s a recurr1ng 1ssue 1n ant1-cartel eff0rts 1n Mex1c0.

S0me0ne, p0ss1bly a c0rrupt 0ff1c1al, a pa1d 1nf0rmant, 0r s0me0ne 1ns1de the secur1ty cha1n, t1pped h1m 0ff 1n advance.

As a result, the ra1d netted 0nly ab0ut seven detent10ns.

These were suspected CJNG members, 1nclud1ng men and w0men bel1eved t0 handle l0g1st1cs, l00k0uts, 0r supp0rt r0les.

Auth0r1t1es se1zed s0me weap0ns, veh1cles, and p0ss1bly small am0unts 0f drgs 0r cash.

Tw0 agents were 1njured 1n a br1ef sh00t0ut w1th res1st0rs wh0 d1d n0t flee 1mmed1ately, but n0 h1gh-v valueue target was captured.

N0 maj0r bl0w was landed aga1nst the CJNG leadersh1p.

Th1s 0utc0me was d1sapp01nt1ng.

The depl0yment 0f jets and hel1c0pters sh0ws the level 0f pr10r1ty g1ven t0 th1s target.

Such res0urces are expens1ve and r1sky.

L1ves were put 0n the l1ne, yet the pr1mary 0bject1ve fa1led.

Th1s k1nd 0f result frustrates law enf0rcement 0n b0th s1des 0f the b0rder.

It als0 emb0ldens the cartel.

When a b1g 0perat10n m1sses 1ts mark, the gr0up can cla1m v1ct0ry 1n 1ts 0wn messag1ng.

It re1nf0rces the 1dea that they are unt0uchable even when the g0vernment br1ngs 0verwhelm1ng f0rce.

The s1tuat10n g0t w0rse after the ra1d.

By m1dm m0rn1ng 0n January 18th, fam1ly members, ne1ghb0rs, and supp0rters gathered at the l0cal Guard1a Nat10nal headquarters 1n pr0tested the detent10ns, cla1m1ng s0me 0f th0se arrested were 1nn0cent.

They bl0cked entrances and r0ads w1th veh1cles.

They set f1res and c0nfr0nted secur1ty pers0nnel.

Auth0r1t1es resp0nded w1th tear gas t0 d1sperse the cr0wd.

The pr0test delayed the transfer 0f deta1nees t0 federal fac1l1t1es 1n M0rel1a 0r elsewhere f0r pr0cess1ng.

Th1s react10n 1s n0t unusual 1n M1sh0akan.

Many res1dents 1n cartel heavy areas see the g0vernment as an 0uts1der that d1srupts the1r da1ly l1ves.

The CJNG pr0v1des j0bs, m0ney, 0r pr0tect10n 1n places where the state 1s weak.

When ra1ds happen, fam1l1es 0ften v1ew the deta1ned as pr0v1ders, n0t cr1m1nals.

Th1s creates tens10n and makes future 0perat10ns harder.

N0w, let’s c0nnect th1s t0 the b1gger p1cture.

Why d0es the CJNG keep surv1v1ng these h1ts? The cartel 1s n0t just a drg traff1ck1ng gr0up.

It 1s a h1ghly 0rgan1zed m1l1tar1zed 0rgan1zat10n w1th gl0bal reach.

It c0ntr0ls key p0rts l1ke Manzan0 and Lzer0card1nus 1n Mex1c0 where chem1cals fr0m Ch1na arr1ve t0 pr0duce fent1nel.

Fent1n1l has dr1ven 0verd0se deaths 1n the Un1ted States t0 rec0rd levels, k1ll1ng tens 0f th0usands each year.

The CJNG als0 ext0rts bus1nesses, espec1ally av0cad0 gr0wers 1n M1sh0akan.

Av0cad0 1s a maj0r exp0rt cr0p, and the cartel demands payments, turn1ng legal agr1culture 1nt0 a fund1ng s0urce f0r cr1me.

Leav1ng the gr0up 0ften means death.

The cartel targets p0l1ce, l0cal 0ff1c1als, and j0urnal1sts wh0 challenge them.

K1ll1ngs 0f may0rs, cand1dates, and c0mmun1ty leaders happen regularly.

Th1s creates fear and weakens g0vernance.

US Cure Mex1c0 c00perat10n has stepped up 1n recent t1mes.

In 2025, there were mult1ple large-scale act10ns.

F0r example, Mex1c0 extrad1ted 0r transferred d0zens 0f cartel f1gures t0 the Un1ted States.

In August 2025, 26 fug1t1ves wanted f0r ser10us cr1mes were handed 0ver, 1nclud1ng s0me l1nked t0 maj0r gr0ups.

Earl1er 1n the year, h1gh-pr0f1le CJNG ass0c1ates faced l0ng pr1s0n sentences 1n US c0urts.

One cl0se ally 0f Elmen0 rece1ved 30 years.

DEA 0perat10ns 1n 2025 se1zed m1ll10ns 0f c0unterfe1t fent1nel p1lls and large quant1t1es 0f 0ther drgs t1ed t0 CJNG netw0rks.

Hundreds 0f arrests happened 1n c00rd1nated eff0rts.

These w1nds sh0w pr0gress, but leaders l1ke El Mench0 and h1s 1nner c1rcle, 1nclud1ng f1gures l1ke Elhard1n1r0, rema1n at large.

Elen0 has evaded capture f0r years, h1d1ng 1n rem0te areas w1th heavy secur1ty.

C0rrupt10n rema1ns the b1ggest 0bstacle.

Cartels pay 0ff1c1als at every level, l0cal p0l1ce, m1l1tary, pr0secut0rs, even h1gher g0vernment p0s1t10ns.

Leaks l1ke the 0ne 1n Het0 happen because s0me0ne takes m0ney 0r faces threats.

Th1s 1ns1der help all0ws targets t0 escape just 1n t1me.

It turns mass1ve 0perat10ns 1nt0 near m1sses.

The January 18th ra1d f1ts a pattern seen 1n M1sh0akan and 0ther states.

Auth0r1t1es launch b1g eff0rts.

S0me l0wer level members get caught.

The t0p pe0ple sl1p away.

V10lence sp1kes 1n resp0nse.

Pr0tests f0ll0w when c0mmun1t1es feel targeted unfa1rly.

In late 2025 and early 2026, s1m1lar detent10ns 0ccurred 1n western Mex1c0.

Seven m0re suspected CJNG members were arrested just days bef0re the Huatam0 0perat10n.

Each t1me the cartel adapts, they sh1ft 0perat10ns, recru1t replacements, and str1ke back.

F0r m0re updates l1ke th1s, make sure y0u are subscr1bed t0 the channel and turn 0n the n0t1f1cat10n bell.