Four Alleged CJNG Affiliates Charged with Narco-Terrorism and Weapons Trafficking in Pending Florida Case
A federal indictment unsealed in the Middle District of Florida remains undecided as four defendants face narco-terrorism and firearms charges.
By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 9:16 a.m. ET
On August 11, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida announced the unsealing of an indictment charging four individuals affiliated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) with narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses. The case is currently at the charging stage and remains open and undecided before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
According to the official indictment record, the defendants are Edgar Alejandro Lopez Velasco, 44; Noe Diaz Jimenez, 33; Leobardo Gaxiola Lopez, 63; and Jose Miguel Alvarado Morales, 23. Lopez Velasco, Diaz Jimenez, and Alvarado Morales are with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism, drug importation conspiracy, and firearms trafficking conspiracies. Gaxiola Lopez is with drug importation conspiracy and firearms trafficking conspiracies. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of life imprisonment.
The official record alleges that in February 2026, Lopez Velasco and Diaz Jimenez negotiated the purchase of European machineguns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortar launchers, and ordnance from the Czech Republic in exchange for fentanyl and methamphetamine imported into the United States. All four individuals were arrested in the Czech Republic in June 2026, and Mexican authorities dismantled an associated synthetic opioid laboratory in Zapopan, Jalisco, on June 12, 2026. Lopez Velasco and Alvarado Morales have been extradited to the Middle District of Florida and ordered detained.
Because the proceeding is at the charging stage, no final judgment has been reached.
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