A high-ranking Mexican cartel leader who faked his own death to “live a life of luxury” in California has been arrested on drug trafficking charges, US authorities said Thursday.
Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa was arrested Tuesday in Riverside, California, the Justice Department said in a statement. statement,
Gutierrez-Ochoa's son-in-law Nemesio Oseguera-Cervantes58, also known as the leader of “El Mencho” Jalisco New Generation CartelWhat authorities described as “one of the world's most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations.”
Nicole Argentieri, a senior Justice Department official, said Gutierrez-Ochoa “allegedly directed the importation of tons of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and engaged in violence in aid of the cartel's criminal activities.”
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Gutierrez-Ochoa “allegedly faked her death and adopted a false identity to avoid justice and live a life of luxury in California.”
According to court documents, Gutierrez-Ochoa began working for the Jalisco Cartel in 2014 and coordinated the shipment of 40,000 kilograms (88,000 lb) of methamphetamine and 2,000 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to the United States.
In 2021, he reportedly kidnapped two members of the Mexican Navy in an attempt to secure the release of Oseguera-Cervantes' wife, who had been arrested by Mexican authorities.
Jalisco Cartel founder Oseguera-Cervantes has also been indicted in the United States and the State Department has offered a 10 million dollar reward To catch him.
“He is the number one priority for the DEA and frankly for federal law enforcement in the United States,” DEA Agent Matthew Donahue. told cbs news In 2019.
In December 2022, the Mexican Army captured antonio osegueraBrother of “El Mencho”. He reportedly oversaw violent operations and logistics, and purchased weapons and laundered money for the Jalisco cartel. The U.S. Treasury Department lists Antonio Oseguera's alias as “El Tony Montana”, an apparent reference to the fictional hero of the 1983 gangster film “Scarface.”
The Jalisco Cartel is known for producing millions of doses of deadly fentanyl and smuggling them into the United States by making them look like Xanax, Percocet or Oxycodone. such pills cause 70,000 deaths due to overdose per year in the United States.
“Defeating the two cartels responsible for the deadly drug crisis in the United States is the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) top operational priority, and with the arrest of Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, we are that much closer,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in a Said statement Thursday.
Earlier this year, the U.S. sanctions imposed Allegedly linked to a group of Mexican accountants and firms timeshare fraud ring Carried out by the Jalisco Cartel in a multi-million dollar scheme targeting Americans.