Riverside, CA – In a significant blow to Mexico’s most violent and prolific drug trafficking organization, US authorities have arrested Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, the son-in-law of Jalisco New Generation cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera-Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho”.
According to the Justice Department, Gutierrez-Ochoa faked his own death and assumed a false identity to evade justice and live a life of luxury in California. However, his scheme was uncovered by federal agents who arrested him on Tuesday in Riverside.
Gutierrez-Ochoa is accused of directing the importation of massive quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States, engaging in violence to aid the cartel’s activities, and kidnapping two members of the Mexican navy in 2021. Court documents reveal that he coordinated the shipment of over 88,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 2,000 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to the US.
The Jalisco New Generation cartel is responsible for producing millions of doses of deadly fentanyl, which are smuggled into the United States disguised as prescription pills, resulting in approximately 70,000 overdose deaths per year.
US authorities have been actively pursuing Oseguera-Cervantes and his associates, with a $10 million reward offered by the State Department for his capture. The DEA has described the Jalisco cartel as “one of the world’s most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations”.
The arrest marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the Jalisco cartel’s operations in the US. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stated, “Defeating the two cartels responsible for the deadly drug crisis in the United States is our top operational priority, and with the arrest of Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, we are much closer.”
The Jalisco cartel has been linked to a multi-million dollar timeshare fraud ring targeting Americans, with US authorities imposing sanctions on Mexican accountants and firms allegedly involved.
Source: CBS News
