A recent study by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) identifies the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as one of Mexico's most dangerous criminal organizations. The report, published on April 15, delves into the origins and tendencies of this notorious cartel.

According to the ACLED report, CJNG currently operates in at least 27 out of Mexico’s 32 states. It stands alongside its rival, the Sinaloa Cartel, as one of the country’s most powerful criminal organizations. Originating from a breakaway faction of the Milenio Cartel under Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," CJNG has evolved into a formidable independent organization. It now functions as an international drug production and trafficking network with income streams also stemming from extortion, kidnapping, and illegal mining. The group is linked to at least 37 associated criminal factions over which it maintains hierarchical control, thereby preventing alliances between these subordinate groups.

Since 2018, nearly half (47%) of all violence involving CJNG and its affiliates has been clashes with other armed groups while about 17% targets security forces. Violence against civilians accounts for roughly one-third of their actions. However, accurately assessing this is challenging due to unknown perpetrators and motives coupled with limited investigative resources. The study notes that CJNG is infamous for its extreme and public displays of violence such as mutilated bodies and threatening messages aimed at asserting dominance in controlled territories and expansion areas.

The report further states that over the past five years, CJNG has sought to expand its control over trafficking routes using violence against civilians to assert social control and deter rivals. Given the group's ongoing attempts to assert dominance in contested areas, it predicts that violence is likely to persist with detrimental effects on civilians.

In a press release from 2023, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) stated that its top priority is dismantling both the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels. The DEA identifies these two cartels as the primary sources of fentanyl and methamphetamine causing fatalities in the US.

ACLED, according to their website, is a project focused on collecting, analyzing, and mapping data related to political violence and protests globally.