A U.S. federal judge sentenced a Chinese national to 12 years in prison last week for helping move large quantities of cocaine into the United States on behalf of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation, a Mexican drug trafficking organization the U.S. government designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in January 2025.
Wenshen Xu, 52, was also ordered to pay a $22 million judgment. The sentence follows a June 30 hearing in which he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
According to information the U.S. Department of Justice provided to Breitbart Texas, Xu lived in Honduras and, beginning in 2023, operated a transportation network that moved more than 450 kilograms of cocaine from Cali, Colombia, primarily on behalf of the cartel. The network reportedly relied on airstrips, airports, armored vehicles, and associates spread across Latin America.
Prosecutors said Xu also ran a laundering operation that processed more than $22 million in drug proceeds, using a mix of cryptocurrency, trade-based laundering schemes, and encrypted communications to move the money.
Authorities arrested Xu in Guatemala in 2025 after the network had allegedly arranged a large-scale drug shipment. He was extradited to the United States in January and held in custody until his sentencing.
Cartel Jalisco New Generation is one of seven Mexican cartels the U.S. government labeled Foreign Terrorist Organizations at the outset of the Trump administration’s second term in January 2025.
