A Wisconsin family has been implicated in the trafficking of military-grade weapons to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to a report by U.S. federal arms-trafficking investigators featured in Reuters. The weapons, sourced from Racine, Wisconsin, have reportedly become a significant part of the arsenal for CJNG.
According to Sarah Kinosian's report in Reuters, Victor Cobian, a resident of Racine, is alleged to have collaborated with his cousin Jesus Cisneros, an arms trafficker for the cartel. Cisneros, a Mexican citizen, is said to have overseen much of the gun smuggling operation as reported by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Family members residing in Wisconsin are believed to have purchased some of the most potent weapons available to the public before transporting them from Racine to California. From there, they were allegedly shipped across the border into Mexico. The clientele included a hit squad operating on behalf of Nemesio Oseguera, CJNG leader. ATF agents described this as the most extensive CJNG gun smuggling operation ever uncovered.
The alleged gun trafficking network extended beyond Wisconsin and into other parts of the U.S., reportedly funneling over $600,000 worth of firearms into Mexico within a year. These allegations stem from internal documents obtained by Reuters.
In February 2022, Cisneros was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department and charged with 22 counts relating to various firearms offenses including providing weapons to CJNG.
Reuters reported that eight defendants in this case pleaded not guilty in February 2022, including Cobian and Cisneros. A jury trial is set to commence in May 2024.
The illicit firearms network was exposed when a Barrett rifle was recovered during a raid in Guadalajara, Jalisco in 2018. The weapon had been used by a cartel hit squad in an attempted assassination of a Mexican public official and was traced back to Shooters’ Sports Center, a Racine gun shop. Officials state that most illegal guns in Mexico originate from the United States, due to Mexico's stringent gun laws.
Anne Milgram, the administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), revealed in testimony released by the U.S. Department of Justice that CJNG has over 18,800 members, associates, facilitators, and brokers worldwide and is present in 21 out of 32 states in Mexico. The cartel is recognized as a major fentanyl trafficking organization.
