Four members of the violent Mexican cartel known as Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) appeared before a federal judge in Florida this week, facing a range of charges tied to the cross-border purchase of heavy weaponry and large-scale drug trafficking, according to federal prosecutors and court records.
The men, all Mexican nationals, were arrested in the Czech Republic in June and later extradited to the United States. Their first court appearance took place this week in a Florida federal courthouse, where the charges against them were formally laid out in a criminal indictment.
Prosecutors identified the defendants as Edgar Alejandro Lopez Velazco, 44; Noe Diaz Jimenez, 33; Leobardo “Bado” Gaxiola Lopez, 63; and Jose Miguel Alvarado Morales, 23. All four are charged with multiple counts of drug conspiracy, narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and firearms trafficking, and each faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Weapons-for-Drugs Scheme
According to the indictment, Lopez Velazco acted as a representative for a senior CJNG leader, while Alvarado Morales represented another top leader within the organization. Diaz Jimenez was described as a fentanyl trafficker who ran a drug manufacturing lab in Mexico. Gaxiola Lopez allegedly worked as an arms and drug broker for the cartel.
The charges center on events in February 2026, when authorities say Lopez Velazco and Diaz Jimenez negotiated the purchase and transport of RPGs, machine guns, explosive devices, and other military-grade weaponry from the Czech Republic to Mexico. The weapons were reportedly paid for not with cash but with drugs that CJNG had smuggled into the United States.
Working with international law enforcement partners, U.S. federal agents tracked the scheme and arrested all four men in the Czech Republic in June. On June 12, Mexican federal police raided Diaz Jimenez’s drug lab in Zapopan, Jalisco, according to the filing.
CJNG’s Terrorist Designation
CJNG is one of Mexico’s most powerful and violent criminal organizations and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government. The group is known for its use of sophisticated weapons, including grenade launchers and armored vehicles, to battle rival cartels and Mexican security forces.
The case highlights the international scope of the cartel’s operations, with weapons sourced from Europe and drugs flowing north into American communities. Prosecutors have not released additional details on how the weapons were transported or what types of machine guns and explosives were involved.
The four defendants remain in U.S. custody pending further proceedings. Their attorneys have not yet commented publicly on the charges.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/border/2026/08/13/feds-terrorist-mexican-cartel-bought-rpgs-machine-guns-from-czech-republic/