Mexican cartel leader arrested in Riverside faked his death and assumed phony name, prosecutors say

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A high-ranking leader of a Mexican drug cartel who lived in the U.S.

under a phony identity after faking his own death has been arrested on federal charges, the Justice Department said Thursday. Cristian Fernando Gutierrez Ochoa - the son-in-law of the fugitive Jalisco New Generation cartel boss known as "El Mencho" - was arrested this week on drug trafficking and money laundering offenses in Riverside where he had been living using a fake name after fleeing Mexico, prosecutors said. The video featured in the media player above is the ABC7 Los Angeles 24/7 streaming channel Prosecutors say Gutierrez Ochoa, 37, faked his own death and fled to the U.

S. to avoid Mexican authorities after kidnapping two members of the Mexican Navy in 2021. His father-in-law, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes or "El Mencho," told associates he killed Gutierrez Ochoa for lying, helping the man escape to the U.

S. to be with "El Mencho's" daughter, the Justice Department said. Gutierrez Ochoa is accused of conspiring to import thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine into the U.

S., and using violence to further the cartel's illegal activities. He's accused of kidnapping the two Mexican Navy members in 2021 in the hopes of securing the release of "El Mencho's" wife after she had been arrested by Mexican authorities, according to the Justice Department.

"The Jalisco Cartel - one of the world's most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations - is weaker today because .