After being caught in California, a senior cartel member who staged his death to evade justice is now facing life in prison.#California #News #RiversideCA #Crime
RIVERSIDE, CA—After reportedly staging his own death to evade justice, Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, a senior member of the infamous C rtel de Jalisco Nueva Generaci n (CJNG), was caught in California. This Monday, the 37-year-old was arrested in Riverside, California. He is also the son-in-law of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, the boss of the cartel. He is charged with several crimes involving money laundering and international narcotics trafficking.
Arrest and Criminal Charges
In Riverside, California, where he had been residing under a false identity, Gutierrez-Ochoa was taken into custody on Tuesday. Gutierrez-Ochoa was implicated in the trafficking of large quantities of cocaine into the United States, according to a criminal complaint that the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed on Wednesday. According to authorities, Gutierrez-Ochoa was in charge of organizing the transportation of about 40,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and 2,000 kilograms of cocaine between 2014 and the time of his arrest.
He is accused of conspiring to launder CJNG’s illicit profits and distributing drugs, including substantial amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine.
“The Jalisco Cartel, one of the most violent and successful drug trafficking organizations in the world, is weaker today because of the persistent efforts of law enforcement to track down and arrest a cartel leader who allegedly faked his own death and assumed a false identity to evade justice and live a life of luxury in California,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in reference to the arrest’s significance.
Alleged Role in Cartel Activities
Drug trafficking is not the only charge against Gutierrez-Ochoa. His alleged involvement in violent activities is also detailed in the lawsuit. He allegedly participated in the kidnapping of two Mexican Navy personnel in late 2021 in order to coerce the release of El Mencho’s wife, who was detained at the time.
El Mencho allegedly helped Gutierrez-Ochoa stage his murder during this time, when Mexican authorities were looking for him, by saying that he had killed his son-in-law for lying. This made it possible for Gutierrez-Ochoa to enter the country illegally. He then took on a fictitious identity and moved into a lavish Riverside home that he had bought with money obtained through drug sales.
“Over the last ten years, Cristian Gutierrez-Ochoa, a close associate of CJNG’s top leader, allegedly directed the importation of tons of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and engaged in violence to aid the cartel’s criminal activities,” said Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, expressing the department’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking organizations.
CJNG and El Mencho s Ongoing Impact
One of the most dangerous and powerful drug cartels in operation today is the CJNG, which is headed by El Mencho. The gang is well-known for its enormous drug trafficking activities and ruthless brutality, which have caused extensive damage in both Mexico and the United States.
El Mencho has long been wanted by the US government, which has offered a $10 million reward for information that could result in his capture or conviction. Although U.S. officials are making every attempt to dismantle El Mencho’s organization, he is still a fugitive.
“The arrest of Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa brings us much closer to our top operational priority of defeating the two cartels that are responsible for the deadly drug crisis in the United States,” stated DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
We claim that Gutierrez-Ochoa, El Mencho’s son-in-law and a senior CJNG official, plotted to bring thousands of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine into the US on behalf of the Jalisco Cartel. Unprecedented violence in Mexico and the lethal drug problem in the United States are both caused by the Jalisco Cartel.
Gutierrez-Ochoa faces a required minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a potential penalty of life in prison if found guilty of the drug trafficking conspiracy accusation. In addition, the money laundering conspiracy accusation carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.
CONNECTED TOPICS: Mexico, California, and Crime
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