son-in-law of one Mexico’s most powerful cartel boss Has been arrested in California – after federal prosecutors say he plotted his own death so he could disappear to “live a life of luxury” in the Golden State.
Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, 37, was taken to Riverside on Tuesday, where he was living in a luxury home paid for by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG). The Justice Department said in a statement Thursday,
Gutierrez-Ochoa is married to the daughter of CJNG boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, a ruthless leader known in Mexico as “El Mencho”.
“The Jalisco Cartel is responsible for unprecedented violence in Mexico and helping to fuel a deadly drug crisis in the United States,” the DOJ said.
Gutierrez-Ochoa had reportedly been working for the CJNG for a decade and, according to the agency, “personally coordinated the transportation and distribution of approximately 40,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and approximately 2,000 kilograms of cocaine into Mexico, all destined for the United States.” Were destined for.”
Prosecutors allege that Gutierrez-Ochoa also was not afraid to resort to violence to get the job done.
He is accused of kidnapping at least two members of the Mexican Navy in 2021 as part of a plot to free El Mencho’s wife after arresting him.
The DOJ said he soon fled to the United States, allegedly with the assistance of El Mencho, who he said had killed his son-in-law for betraying him.
Once in California, prosecutors allege Gutierrez-Ochoa met up with his wife, and after adopting a false identity, started a new life and “moved into a luxury residence in Riverside,” the feds said.
“The Jalisco Cartel – one of the world’s most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations – has been weakened today by law enforcement’s arduous efforts to track down and arrest a cartel leader who allegedly killed his own , and adopted a false identity to avoid justice,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
“As alleged in these indictments, Gutierrez-Ochoa directed deadly drug trafficking that caused unprecedented devastation in our communities,” he said.
Gutierrez-Ochoa was charged with money laundering and drug trafficking and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The US is taking the next step in trying to capture El Mencho – and is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.
His brother, Antonio Oseguera – also known as El Tony Montana – was arrested in Mexico in a 2022 raid by heavily armed Mexican soldiers.
The family cartel specializes in smuggling drugs such as meth and fentanyl into the US and is considered one of the driving forces behind the country’s heroin crisis.
