Federal allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering led to the arrest of a high-ranking member of one of the most dangerous drug gangs in the world who allegedly staged his own death and adopted a false identity in order to live a lavish lifestyle.
In a federal complaint that was made public on Wednesday, 37-year-old Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa was charged. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was taken into custody on Tuesday in Riverside, California.
According to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, 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 should serve as a reminder to anyone who want to hurt Americans and take advantage of their suffering that we will track you down and bring you to justice.
According to authorities, Gutierrez-Ochoa is a senior member of the CJNG and the son-in-law of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, 58, popularly known as El Mencho, the group’s head.
On behalf of the Cartel, which officials claim is to blame for the extraordinary bloodshed in Mexico and is contributing to the deadly drug crisis in the United States, Gutierrez-Ochoa is accused of overseeing the transportation of tons of cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to court filings, Gutierrez-Ochoa reportedly abducted two Mexican Navy personnel in November 2021 in an effort to free Oseguera Cervantes’ wife, who had been detained by Mexican authorities.
According to court filings, he subsequently escaped to the United States, took on a false identity, and used drug money to purchase an opulent property in Riverside, California. East of Los Angeles, Riverside is roughly 55 miles away.
Court documents suggest that by telling associates that El Mencho killed Gutierrez-Ochoa for lying, El Mencho may have helped Gutierrez-Ochoa in his plot to stage his own demise. El Mencho is accused of spearheading an ongoing criminal organization to produce and distribute fentanyl for importation into the United States in an indictment filed in April 2022.
Up to $10 million is being offered as compensation for information that led to his arrest.
According to authorities, Oseguera Cervantes became the ruler in 2009. Prosecutors claimed that the CJNG transformed from a local drug trafficking group into a global organized crime force as it grew in power in Mexico.
Oseguera In September, following a two-week jury trial in a federal court in Washington, D.C., Cervantes’ son, Rub n El Menchito Oseguera, the CJNG’s second in command, was found guilty of drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to 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 weapons painted with CJNG to shoot down a Mexican military helicopter with 18 soldiers and police on board. On board, at least nine people perished.
On January 10, he will be sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.
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