CJNG And The Supermarket in Sacramento (10/24/25)

In Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood, the owner of La Victoria Supermercado, Mr. Jose Manuel Chavez Zepeda, is alleged to have operated a cocaine distribution ring tied to the Mexican cartel Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). According to a federal complaint, the supermarket was used as a front: cocaine was smuggled from Mexico, marked with “NG” (for “Nuevo Generación”), transported into California (via Los Angeles and Ceres) and then distributed in Sacramento. The store also allegedly functioned as a money-laundering operation, with large cash deposits and proceeds from the narcotics sales routed through the business. The investigation, which spanned roughly six years (beginning circa 2016) and involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Sacramento Area Intelligence/Narcotics Task Force, unsealed a 68-page complaint detailing the mechanism: cartel shipments into California, a Sacramento-based stash pad managed by a subordinate, and bulk cash transfers including hundreds of thousands of dollars to Mexico. The supermarket’s owner and a named associate now face federal charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, money-laundering and related offenses. to contact me: [email protected]