Latest news with #CJNG
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Daily Mail
American woman brutally killed in Mexico in horrific case of mistaken identity
An American woman was brutally shot dead in Mexico after cartel members mistook her dad's Ford F-150 for that of a rival gang. Isabel Ashanti Gómez, 22, was traveling home with her father Valentín and friend Dánae, 26, from a dance when they came across an unofficial checkpoint believed to have been set up by the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG). After noticing the criminals, her father decided not to stop and the alleged criminal opened fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, believing the group were rival gang members, TV Azteca reported. Gómez was shot and killed. Her father and her friend were both seriously injured and rushed to the hospital. The shooting was linked to William Edwin Rivera Padilla, who goes by the alias 'El Barbas,' preliminary reports said, TV Azteca reported. Padilla is a regional lieutenant of the gang. No one has been arrested for Gómez's death. Valentín had offered to pick up the girls after the event ran over and it had grown late. On the way back, they came across the checkpoint on the Zitácuaro-Aputzio highway in Juárez. Police are still investigating the shooting. Gomez was a dual US-Mexico citizen and often visited the country. Just hours before her death, Gómez had posted a video of herself and her uncle dancing and wished him a happy birthday. 'I hope you keep celebrating many more birthdays. See you later, after I've had a shower,' she wrote. May Mendoza, who is in a civil union with Gómez, wrote on Facebook: 'I will always carry you in my heart my beautiful girl.' She also changed her Facebook cover photo to Gómez's eyes. A funeral for Gómez took place earlier this week. Several wreaths of flowers and photos of her were seen near her white and gold casket. Cartels are prevalent in Mexico and they control drug routes and more. It is estimated that around 300,000 people work for Mexico's cartels. CNJC emerged from the Milenio Cartel around 2010 and is known for its aggression. It is one of Mexico's leading criminal threats, according to Insight Crime. In 2015, the gang killed 15 Mexican police officers in an ambush, which was one of the deadliest attacks on law enforcement in the country. A month later, they shot down a police helicopter. The cartel has also made attempts at killing public figures, such as Former Security Secretary Luis Carlos Nájera in 2018 and Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch in 2020. The US government has offered a $10million reward for information leading to the arrest of the group's leader Nemesio Oseguera Ramos, who goes by the alias 'El Mencho.'
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
American woman gunned down by Mexican cartel who mistake her dad's truck for a rival gang's
An American woman was gunned down by ruthless Mexican cartel members who mistook her father's pickup truck for one belonging to a rival gang, according to reports. Isabel Ashanti Gomez, 22, was riding with her dad, Valentin, in his Ford F-150 when they were ambushed in a cartel-controlled zone on the Zitácuaro-Aputzio highway in Juárez, El Universal reported. Instead of stopping at a makeshift roadblock, which cops believe was set up by the notoriously ultra-violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Valetin accelerated and tried to crash through the barrier, The Sun reported. Advertisement 3 Isabel Ashanti Gomez, 22, was riding with her dad, Valentin, in his Ford F-150 when they were ambushed in a cartel-controlled zone on the Zitácuaro-Aputzio highway. NX Cartel members assumed it was a rival gang driving the truck and opened fire, killing Gomez in a hail of bullets, local outlets confirmed. Her father was seriously wounded in the ambush, as was a friend with them, only identified as Danae, 26, authorities said. Advertisement Just hours before her death, Gomez posted a joyful video dancing with her uncle to wish him a happy birthday. 'I hope you keep celebrating many more birthdays. See you later, after I've had a shower,' the caption said. 3 Cartel members assumed it was a rival gang driving the truck and opened fire, killing Gomez in a hail of bullets, local outlets confirmed. NX 3 The shooting is still under investigation, according to reports. REUTERS Advertisement Gomez held dual US-Mexico citizenship and often visited the area with her family, the outlet said. The shooting remains under investigation.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
US woman, 22, gunned down by ultra-violent Mexican CJNG cartel after they ‘mistook her dad's truck for rival vehicle'
CARTEL BUTCHERS US woman, 22, gunned down by ultra-violent Mexican CJNG cartel after they 'mistook her dad's truck for rival vehicle' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A YOUNG American woman was shot dead in cold blood by Mexican cartels who mistook her dad's car for a rival gang vehicle. Isabel Ashanti Gomez was returning home with her father Valentin in his Ford F-150 truck when a heavily armed gang started firing at them. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Isabel Ashanti, 22, was killed in cold blood Credit: Newsflash More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US sanctions Mexican banks, alleging connections to cartel money laundering
The United States has imposed sanctions on three Mexican banks, alleging they had been used to launder money for drug cartels. On Wednesday, the US Department of the Treasury tied the banks – CIBanco, Intercam Banco and Vector Casa de Bolsa – to the cross-border trafficking of the deadly synthetic drug fentanyl. It accused them of playing 'a longstanding and vital role in laundering millions of dollars on behalf of Mexico-based cartels and facilitating payments for the procurement of precursor chemicals needed to produce fentanyl'. The sanctions are part of a wider pressure campaign by the administration of US President Donald Trump against Latin American gangs, criminal networks and drug traffickers. That campaign has included designating several groups as 'foreign terrorist organisations' and using tariffs to pressure Mexico's government to increase enforcement of irregular traffic across the border. In a statement, the Treasury Department said the banks were the first to be targeted under new pieces of legislation – the Fentanyl Sanctions Act and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act – passed to expand its ability to target money laundering related to opioid trafficking. The sanctions would block transfers between the targeted Mexican banks and US banks, although it was not immediately clear how far-reaching the limits would a statement, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent accused the banks of 'enabling the poisoning of countless Americans by moving money on behalf of cartels, making them vital cogs in the fentanyl supply chain'. But Mexico's Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit responded to the sanctions by saying it had yet to receive conclusive evidence justifying them. 'We want to be clear: If we have conclusive information proving illicit activities by these three financial institutions, we will act to the fullest extent of the law,' the Finance Ministry said. 'However, to date, we have no information in this regard.'CIBanco did not immediately respond to the allegations. The US Treasury Department accused it of being connected to money laundering by the Beltran-Leyva Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Gulf Cartel. Intercam, which is also accused of having connections to the CJNG cartel, also did not respond. Meanwhile, the brokerage firm Vector, which was linked to money laundering by the Sinaloa Cartel and Gulf Cartel, said the US claims tying its operations to drug traffickers were false. 'Vector categorically rejects any accusation that compromises its institutional integrity,' the company said in a statement, adding that it would cooperate to clarify the situation.
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
New trouble for crime-hit Mexican city Irapuato, gunmen kill 10 people including children in new attack
Gunmen massacred ten people, including children, in a brutal nighttime attack on a home in Irapuato, Guanajuato, authorities confirmed Wednesday. The assault occurred Tuesday during a religious gathering, leaving multiple others wounded in what President Claudia Sheinbaum denounced as a "deplorable" act. Security forces have launched a manhunt for the perpetrators, who fled the scene in a damaged van. The Guanajuato attorney general's office reported victims succumbed to firearm projectiles, with local media noting cartel-style banners were left nearby—a grim signature in Mexico's gang conflicts. This massacre underscores Guanajuato's grim status as Mexico's deadliest state, where cartel turf wars fueled 3,151 homicides in 2024 alone, over 10% of the national total. The region, though an industrial and tourism hub, is paralyzed by clashes between the Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), designated a terrorist organization by the US. Mexico's Catholic bishops condemned the violence as evidence of a 'weakening social fabric,' urging cartels to declare a truce after recent attacks on police, addiction rehabilitation centers, and families. The bloodshed is part of Mexico's broader crisis: approximately 480,000 lives have been lost to cartel violence since 2006, alongside 120,000 disappearances. Despite military crackdowns initiated by former President Felipe Calderón and continued by successors, cartels have fragmented into 20+ ruthless factions, diversifying into oil theft, kidnapping, and human trafficking. President Sheinbaum now faces calls to overhaul security strategy amid U.S. warnings for travelers to avoid Guanajuato, where cartels control swaths of territory.
