The US Justice Department said Thursday that a senior member of a Mexican drug gang who allegedly staged his own death and has been residing in California under a false identity is now being charged on a federal level.
As he escaped to the United States, Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, a member of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel and the son-in-law of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the boss of the cartel, was evading Mexican authorities.
Prosecutors claim that when he was caught earlier this month, he had taken on a false identity and moved into an opulent Riverside residence.
Gutierrez-Ochoa, 37, also known as “Guacho,” is accused of money laundering and international narcotics trafficking.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement Thursday that the persistent efforts of law enforcement to find and apprehend a cartel leader who allegedly staged his own death and adopted a false identity in order to elude justice and live a luxurious life in California have made the Jalisco Cartel.
It is one of the most violent and successful drug trafficking organizations in the world, weaker today. According to the prosecution, Gutierrez-Ochoa personally planned the movement and distribution of 2,000 kilos of cocaine and 40,000 kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico to the United States prior to his disappearance.
In an effort to free his mother-in-law, El Mencho’s wife, who had been arrested by Mexican police, has also allegedly abducted two Mexican Navy personnel.
By claiming to his acquaintances that he had killed Gutierrez-Ochoa for lying, El Mencho allegedly assisted Gutierrez-Ochoa in fabricating his death in order to elude Mexican police authorities.
Prosecutors claim that the plan enabled Gutierrez-Ochoa to supervise the receipt and distribution of cocaine shipments from his location within the United States, as well as to flee to California and be with El Mencho’s daughter.
According to released court filings, shortly after he arrived in the United States, the cartel, which goes by the initials “CJNG,” allegedly formed an illegal tequila company in order to pay $1.2 million in cash for Gutierrez-Ochoa’s Riverside, California, property.
Investigators also claimed that the cartel laundered narcotics revenues using a number of counterfeit tequila brands, citing an anonymous CJNG source.
Gutierrez-Ochoa appeared to remain vigilant after spending over a year in hiding. In court filings, federal authorities claim that the cartel member counter-surveilled federal investigators who were observing him at least once.
The Arrest
The Department of Justice merely stated that “Guacho” was arrested on Tuesday in its announcement on Thursday, without providing any further details about the circumstances surrounding his detention.
In 2022, El Mencho was accused by the Justice Department of spearheading the endeavor to produce and distribute fentanyl for importation into the United States.
The State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information that leads to his arrest and/or conviction, but he has not been taken into custody.