US Charges Four CJNG Members With Narco-Terrorism Over Czech Weapons Trade

Federal prosecutors in the United States charged four members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) with narcoterrorism, narcotics trafficking, and firearms trafficking, according to the United States Department of Justice and reporting by Infobae. The charges, announced on August 11, 2026, by federal prosecutor Gregory W. Kehoe in the Middle District of Florida, stem from an operation in which the suspects negotiated the purchase of European weaponry in the Czech Republic in exchange for fentanyl and methamphetamine destined for American streets.

Armament Negotiations and International Arrests

According to the federal indictment reported by Infobae, Edgar Alejandro López Velasco and Noé Díaz Jiménez negotiated the acquisition of European machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars, and ammunition from the Czech Republic in February 2026. The suspects allegedly planned to use the arsenal to commit violent acts against rival criminal groups, civilians, and Mexican law enforcement and military personnel. In exchange for the weapons, the group offered shipments of fentanyl and methamphetamine intended for import into the United States.

Two of the suspects, Edgar Alejandro López Velasco, 44, and José Miguel Alvarado Morales, 23, were extradited to the United States and appeared before a judge on August 10, 2026, where they were ordered detained. The remaining two suspects, Noé Díaz Jiménez, 33, and Leobardo Gaxiola López, 63, were arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2026 and remain in legal proceedings. Gaxiola López is the only defendant in the European case who does not face narcoterrorism or material support charges, instead facing counts solely for drug importation and firearms trafficking conspiracies.

Mexican Laboratory Raid and Individual Charges

The federal case also ties into domestic enforcement actions in Mexico. According to Infobae, Mexican federal forces—including the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the Secretariat of the Navy, and the Attorney General’s Office—dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operated by Noé Díaz Jiménez on June 12, 2026. The raid took place in the Mesa Colorada neighborhood of Zapopan, Jalisco, following a judicial search warrant executed by security forces.

The United States Department of Justice outlined specific criminal profiles and charges for each of the four defendants:

• Edgar Alejandro López Velasco faces charges of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism, drug importation conspiracy, and firearms trafficking conspiracy.
• Noé Díaz Jiménez faces the same four charges of narcoterrorism, material support, drug importation, and weapons trafficking, alongside his alleged ties to the Zapopan laboratory.
• José Miguel Alvarado Morales faces identical charges including narcoterrorism and material support as a representative of an un-named high-ranking CJNG member.
• Leobardo Gaxiola López faces charges limited to drug importation conspiracy and firearms trafficking conspiracy.

All four defendants face maximum sentences of life imprisonment if convicted in U.S. federal court. The case is being handled by assistant U.S. attorney Dan Baeza under the direction of prosecutor Gregory W. Kehoe.