Leader of Terrorist-Designated Mexican Drug Cartel Indicted in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.

            WASHINGTON – Armando Gomez Nunez, a Mexican national and senior leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), was charged in a two-count indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine for importation into the United States and carrying and using firearms, including machine guns and destructive devices, in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            “President Trump has made it clear that we will pursue every legal avenue to hold transnational criminal organizations accountable for their crimes against the American people,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Now one of the most dangerous criminals in Mexico is in U.S. custody as we continue our fight against one of the largest, most violent drug trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere.”

            CJNG is one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking organizations operating in Mexico and is responsible for exporting tonnage quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, and illicit opioids into the United States. CJNG was designated by the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) for conducting intimidating acts of violence, including attacks on Mexican military and police with military grade weaponry, the use of drones to drop explosives on Mexican law enforcement and assassinations or attempted assassinations of Mexican officials.

            Gomez Nunez, aka “Delta 1” and “Maximo,” is the reputed leader and commander of Los Deltas, a violent enforcement and assassination cell of CJNG. Mexican authorities arrested Gomez Nunez in December 2025. He is one of 37 Mexican nationals who arrived in the United States on Jan. 20, 2026 following their expulsion by Mexico.

            “Securing the largest transfer to date of fugitives from Mexico to the United States is another victory in the Department of Justice’s battle to eliminate transnational criminal organizations and secure our border,” said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Mexico’s use of its National Security Law to transfer these 37 fugitives ensures that justice will neither be delayed nor denied. With great thanks to our law enforcement partners and the Government of Mexico, the Department of Justice intends to move swiftly to prosecute each fugitive to the fullest extent of the law.”  

            This transfer marks only the third time that Mexico has used its National Security Law to expel fugitives to the United States. It is also the largest such transfer of fugitives to occur—the first transfer, on Feb. 27, 2025, involved 29 fugitives, and the second, on Aug. 12, 2025, involved 26 fugitives.

            The investigation is being conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshal’s Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.