A high-ranking member of one of the most dangerous drug cartels was arrested on federal drug trafficking and money laundering charges after he allegedly staged his own death and assumed a false identity in order to enjoy a lavish lifestyle.
In a federal complaint that was made public on Wednesday, 37-year-old Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa was charged. His arrest in Riverside, California, was announced in a news release issued by the US Attorney’s Office on Tuesday.
Associated coverage:
According to Lisa Monaco, deputy attorney general, the Jalisco Cartel, one of the most violent and successful drug trafficking organizations in the world, is now weaker as a result of law enforcement’s persistent efforts to find and apprehend a cartel leader who allegedly staged his own death and adopted a false identity in order to elude justice and lead an opulent life in California.
According to these accusations, Gutierrez-Ochoa oversaw the trafficking of deadly drugs, wreaking havoc on our communities. This arrest demonstrates that we will track down and punish those who injure Americans and make money off of their suffering.
Prosecutors claim that Gutierrez-Ochoa is a senior member of the CJNG and the son-in-law of its commander, 58-year-old Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, popularly known as El Mencho.
Gutierrez-Ochoa is accused by authorities of overseeing the Cartel’s transportation of tons of cocaine and methamphetamine, which they say is fueling the lethal drug problem in the United States and generating unprecedented violence in Mexico.
According to court filings, Gutierrez-Ochoa reportedly abducted two sailors of the Mexican Navy in November 2021 in an effort to free Oseguera Cervantes’ wife, who had been detained by Mexican police.
He then moved to the United States, assumed a fictitious identity, and used drug money to buy a lavish property in Riverside, California, according to court filings. About 55 miles to the east of Los Angeles sits Riverside.
Court documents suggest that by telling associates that El Mencho killed Gutierrez-Ochoa for lying, El Mencho may have assisted Gutierrez-Ochoa in his scheme to stage his own demise.
El Mencho is charged in an April 2022 indictment with leading a continuous criminal operation that manufactures and distributes fentanyl for importation into the United States.
Information that results in his arrest might earn up to $10 million.
According to authorities, Oseguera Cervantes became the leader in 2009. Prosecutors claim that the CJNG progressively increased its influence in Mexico, evolving from a local drug trafficking group to a global force in organized crime.
In September, a two-week jury trial in a federal court in Washington, D.C. found Oseguera Rub n El Menchito Oseguera, the son of Cervantes and the second-in-command of the CJNG, guilty of drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to the authorities, he controlled the drug trafficking organization using murder, kidnapping, destructive devices, and firearms.
His subordinates used an Iranian-made rocket-propelled grenade and a.50 caliber belt-fed firearm marked CJNG to shoot down a Mexican military helicopter carrying 18 soldiers and police officers. On board, at least nine people perished.
He will receive a life sentence plus 30 years on January 10.
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