Meet the rumored new boss of Mexico’s Jalisco Cartel: a man born not in the mountains of Mexico, but in sunny Orange County, California. Yes, America’s finest export program strikes again.
Juan Carlos, also known as El Pelón, Tricky Tres, and O3, is reportedly positioning himself to take over after the death of his stepfather, cartel chief El Mencho. Juan Carlos is a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen, born in Santa Ana, California, in 1984 — proof that globalization works, just not the way Americans were promised.
His mother, Rosalinda “La Jefa” González Valencia, was married to the slain kingpin and handled much of the cartel’s finances. Some analysts think she could run the operation herself, but most believe she will back her son. Because nothing says “family business” like organized crime.
In 2021, the U.S. government indicted Juan Carlos for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and for using firearms during drug trafficking. The State Department slapped a $5 million bounty on him, describing him as 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes — your average Orange County resident, minus the narco-terrorism.
At the time, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram announced the case under the charming title “Operation Pinky and the Brain,” noting that the U.S. government was committed to hunting down those “causing the most harm in our communities.” Translation: this guy isn’t exactly a Boy Scout.
Juan Carlos was also listed by the National Counter Terrorism Center as the cartel’s “de facto second in command” before his stepfather was killed — meaning this succession plan didn’t exactly come out of nowhere.
Security forces captured El Mencho after a shootout with his bodyguards in Tapalpa, Jalisco, where he later died in custody. What followed was textbook cartel retaliation. Fighters shut down Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, with roadblocks, fires in grocery stores, and flight cancellations — the cartel version of a tantrum.
CNN analyst Saucedo said the operation looked less like an arrest and more like an extermination attempt, warning that in the criminal underworld, this kind of action sparks revenge. And sure enough, Mexico saw narco-terrorism and chaos erupt across major cities.
Experts now fear that as the cartel reorganizes, violence will surge again. Whoever ends up in charge, one thing is clear: this cartel’s next leader is reportedly a Californian. Another reminder that weak borders don’t just export workers — they export warlords.
The only silver lining? With leaders like President Trump putting pressure on cartels and cracking down on cross-border crime, this kind of international criminal pipeline is finally being called what it is: a national security threat. And unlike the cartel, that fight is one Americans can actually win.
