United States Drug Enforcement Administration

NEW ORLEANS – Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced the results of a week-long operational surge aimed at dismantling the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations in the world.

Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February by the Trump Administration, CJNG is a significant threat to public safety, public health, and national security. CJNG is responsible for flooding the United States with deadly fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin to fuel addiction, overdoses, and violence in communities across the United States.

“DEA is targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as what it is—a terrorist organization—at every level, from its leadership to its distribution networks and everyone in between,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “Let this serve as a warning: DEA will not relent. Working side by side with our state, local, tribal, and federal partners, and through the Homeland Security Task Force, DEA is committed to these partnerships to take the fight directly to designated terrorist organizations. Every arrest, every seizure, and every dollar stripped from CJNG represents lives saved and communities protected. This focused operation is only the beginning—we will carry this fight forward together until this threat is defeated.”

The DEA New Orleans Division, which includes Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, accounted for 47 of the 670 arrests during the operation, marking the fourth-highest number of arrests among domestic DEA field divisions. Of the division's 47 arrests, 25 were made across Arkansas.

“The fact that the New Orleans Division recorded the fourth-highest number of domestic arrests during this surge—with over half those arrests occurring in Little Rock, Fort Smith, and Fayetteville—underscores the severe and imminent threat CJNG poses to our communities, particularly in Arkansas,” said DEA New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer. “We are taking the fight directly to this cartel and will not relent. The DEA and our partners are committed to dismantling these networks and protecting our citizens from their poison.”

The arrests in the New Orleans Division occurred in the following cities:

• Little Rock, AR (16 arrests)

• Fort Smith, AR (7 arrests)

• Mobile, AL (6 arrests)

• New Orleans, LA (5 arrests)

• Montgomery, AL (4 arrests)

• Baton Rouge, LA (3 arrests)

• Fayetteville, AR (2 arrests)

• Birmingham, AL (2 arrests)

• Huntsville, AL (2 arrests)

From September 22 through September 26, 2025, DEA agents across 23 domestic field divisions and seven foreign regions carried out coordinated enforcement actions that resulted in:

• Arrests: 670

• Drug Seizures:

  • 92.4 kilograms of fentanyl powder,

  • 1,157,672 counterfeit pills,

  • 6,062 kilograms of methamphetamine,

  • 22,842 kilograms of cocaine, and

  • 33 kilograms of heroin

• Currency Seizures: $18,644,105

• Assets Seized: $29,694,429

• Firearms: 244

CJNG operates globally, with tens of thousands of members, associates, and facilitators in at least 40 countries. The cartel is responsible for the production, manufacturing, and distribution of synthetic drugs, as well as the violence and corruption that accompany their operations.

DEA is committed to taking down CJNG’s command, control, and distribution networks and the continued pursuit of CJNG co-founder and leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho. He remains one of DEA’s most wanted fugitives and the subject of a reward of up to $15 million under the U.S. Department of State Narcotics Rewards Program.

DEA’s efforts are part of a larger whole-of-government approach to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting U.S. communities. By working closely with the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) and other federal partners, DEA is ensuring that current and future operations align with broader U.S. efforts to combat designated terrorist organizations and transnational organized crime.

The public is encouraged to submit tips to the DEA online at dea.gov/submit-tip or by calling 1-877-792-2873. More information about the types of crime the DEA investigates can be found at dea.gov/what-we-do.

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