A Santa Clara man who helped build one of the world’s most dangerous criminal networks is facing a potential life sentence after pleading guilty in federal court Tuesday. Erick Valencia-Salazar, 49, known in the underworld as “El 85,” admitted to his role in a massive conspiracy to flood the United States with cocaine.
Valencia-Salazar wasn’t just a mid-level player; he was a co-founder of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). The organization is so powerful and violent that the U.S. State Department officially designated it a foreign terrorist organization in early 2025.
Court documents paint a picture of a man who rose through the ranks of the Milenio Cartel, where he handed out AK-47s and AR-15s to “sicarios” for bloody turf wars, before eventually breaking away to start the CJNG.
Once he was in charge, he didn’t just move drugs—he acted as a recruiter and a strategist, using intelligence on rival gangs to eliminate enemies and seize control of territory across Mexico.
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“Erick Valencia-Salazar co-founded the CJNG, one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, which shipped tons of cocaine into the United States and inflicted immeasurable damage on our country,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. He added that the cartel’s actions have effectively “destabilized the region” to let crime flourish.
The DEA, which has been tracking the organization for years, emphasized that the group’s “business model” is built entirely on fear.
“CJNG is a designated terrorist organization. They do not just traffic deadly drugs—including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine—they spread violence, fear, and instability on both sides of the border,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “This guilty plea marks another step in holding its leadership accountable.”
Valencia-Salazar was brought to the U.S. from Mexico in February 2025 to face these charges. Now that he has entered a guilty plea for conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, the legal road for him is narrowing.
While he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years, the scale of his operations means a life sentence is on the table. A federal judge will make the final call during his sentencing, which is currently on the books for July 31.
The case is a major win for “Operation Take Back America,” a Department of Justice initiative specifically designed to dismantle the command structures of international cartels that funnel drugs and violence across the U.S. border.
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