On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that they had arrested a top Mexican drug cartel kingpin who was living in luxury in California under a fake name.
Christian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, a top member of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, allegedly faked his own death and fled to Riverside, California — where he was found to be living in a luxury apartment.
Meet the CJNG, or Jalisco New Generation Cartel. They’re armed to the teeth and have military equipment and experience.
Drug cartels are paramilitary now.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 18, 2020
Gutierrez-Ochoa is the son-in-law of the Jalisco Cartel’s current boss — known as “El Mencho,” who reportedly helped Gutierrez-Ochoa fake his death. Reports indicate that El Mencho claimed that he had murdered his son-in-law because he had lied to him, giving him the time and space needed to flee Mexico for California, where his wife lives. El Mencho, who is still at large and has a $10 million reward on his head from the U.S. State Department, was charged by the DOJ in 2022 for his role in transporting massive quantities of fentanyl into the United States.
Gutierrez-Ochoa illegally entered the U.S. at an unknown location and date, then traveled to Riverside, California and created a false identity that allowed him to move into a luxury apartment using his cartel money. Before fleeing to the U.S., Gutierrez-Ochoa was a top drug trafficker who had been personally responsible for transporting and dispensing nearly 88,000 pounds of meth and 4,400 pounds of cocaine into the United States. The drug kingpin also was allegedly responsible for kidnapping two Mexican Navy officers and attempting to use them as leverage to secure the release of his mother-in-law, who had been arrested by Mexican police.
🚨🇺🇸MEXICAN CARTEL LEADER ARRESTED IN U.S. AFTER FAKING HIS OWN DEATH
Gutierrez-Ochoa, son-in-law of El Mencho, the leader of the deadly Jalisco New Generation cartel, was arrested in Riverside, California this Tuesday on charges of drug trafficking.
Gutierrez was found living… pic.twitter.com/VBCyVdR7XA
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 22, 2024
He has been arrested by federal authorities and charged with international drug trafficking and money laundering.
“The Jalisco Cartel — one of the world’s most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations — is weaker today because of the tenacious 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,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco explained in a statement Thursday.
