Chinese Operative Sentenced to Prison for Moving Drugs for Mexican Terrorist Cartel

A U.S. federal judge sentenced a Chinese national to 12 years in prison for his role in helping move large quantities of drugs from Colombia into the United States. The Chinese national moved the illicit narcotics for the terrorist organization Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). CJNG is one of seven Mexican drug cartels designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the U.S. government at the start of the Trump administration’s second term in January 2025. Late last week, 52-year-old Wenshen Xu went before a U.S. federal judge who handed down the sentence and ordered him to pay a $22 million judgment. The ruling came months after a hearing on June 30, where he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy charges. He also pleaded guilty to providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization (CJNG). According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by the U.S. Department of Justice, Xu lived in Honduras and, since 2023, ran a transportation network that moved more than 450 kilograms of cocaine for Mexican cartels from Cali, Colombia, primarily for CJNG. Authorities say the network included airstrips, airports, armored cars, and associates across Latin America. Prosecutors claimed that Xu ran a complex conspiracy to launder more than $22 million in profits. The conspiracy included cryptocurrency, trade-based money laundering, and encrypted communications. Authorities arrested him in Guatemala in 2025 after the group had planned a large-scale shipment of drugs. Authorities extradited him to the United States in January, where they held him until his sentencing hearing. Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.