The H2 Cartel and the accusations against Salvador Cienfuegos have been a topic of interest due to revelations from the DEA in 2020. According to the DEA, this criminal organization had the support of state authorities from Nayarit and the federal government, including former Secretary of National Defense, Salvador Cienfuegos. It has been reported that Juan Patrón, alias 'H-2', led the H2 Cartel after absorbing the businesses of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel in Nayarit and Jalisco, with alleged support from Cienfuegos during the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto.
Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested in Jalisco in February 2019 and later extradited to the United States. Meanwhile, 'H-3', identified as Jesús Ricardo Patrón, was pointed out as the plaza chief of the H-2 Cartel and heir to the Beltrán Leyva in Tepic, Nayarit. Following his extradition to the United States in February 2025, he faces charges related to his alleged involvement in the brutally violent H-2 Drug Trafficking Organization, accused of flooding American streets with dangerous drugs.
In the hearing held by Judge Peggy Kuo, it was ordered that Jesús Ricardo Patrón remain in custody while awaiting trial. According to the federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, Sánchez was one of the main leaders of the transnational H-2 criminal organization, dedicated to drug trafficking and operating in Nayarit and Sinaloa. Moreover, he is accused of leading money laundering activities through his organization.
It is worth mentioning that Salvador Cienfuegos pleaded not guilty in 2020 in the United States, where the charges were dropped in November of that same year. After these events, 'H-3' took over the leadership of the H-2 DTO. It is estimated that between January 2013 and February 2017, this organization distributed large quantities of drugs in the United States. Despite his extradition, in January 2021, the Attorney General's Office of the Republic (FGR) decided not to take legal action against Cienfuegos, and in October 2023, he was decorated by then-President López Obrador. For her part, President Sheinbaum indicated in February 2025 the lack of sufficient evidence to justify a trial in Cienfuegos' case.
