A high-ranking leader of a Mexican drug cartel who lived in the U.S. under a phony identity after faking his 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, California , where he had been living using a fake name after fleeing Mexico , prosecutors said. Recently, several bodies were found dead in Mexico, connected to the cartel-driven violence. Spanish police uncover criminal network in Catalonia tied to Sinaloa cartel Kidnapped teen found dead with 11 others in Mexico Prosecutors say Gutierrez Ochoa, 37, faked his 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 United States, as well as using violence to further the activities of the cartel.
He allegedly kidnapped two members of the Mexican Navy in 2021 in an attempt to secure the release of "El Mencho's" wife, who had been arrested by Mexican authorities, according to the Justic.