Mexican cartel member who faked death arrested in California, authorities say

A high-ranking member of the Jalisco Cartel was arrested in Riverside on Tuesday, Nov., 19 on drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges after he faked his own death, the U. S. Department of Justice said.

According to the criminal complaint filed in a federal court, Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa, 37, began working for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación around 2014. Since then, federal authorities say, he is accused of coordinating the transportation and distribution in Mexico of approximately 40,000 kilograms, or 88,184 pounds, of methamphetamine and 2,000 kilograms, or 409 pounds, of cocaine, all of it intended for the United States.

He also allegedly kidnapped two members of the Mexican navy in Nov. 2021, in an attempt to secure the release of the wife of the cartel’s leader, and Gutierrez-Ochoa’s father-in-law, Nemesio Osegura Cervantes, who had been arrested.

In order to escape Mexican authorities, Gutierrez-Ochoa came to the United States, assumed a fake identity, and lived in a luxury residence in Riverside, paid for by the cartel’s drug- and money-laundering operations, federal prosecutors say.

Osegura Cervantes may have helped Gutierrez-Ochoa fake his death by telling associates that he had been murdered for lying, authorities said. The Justice Department issued an indictment against Osegura Cervantes in April 2022 on charges of leading a continuing criminal enterprise to manufacture and distribute fentanyl for importation to the United States. The U.S. Department of State is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

If Gutierrez-Ochoa is convicted as charged, he faces 10 years to life in prison.

“Tuesday’s arrest sends a powerful message to cartel leadership: We will work tirelessly with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to hold them accountable,” said Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.