Cartel leader accused of faking his death gets 11 years in U.S. prison

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A high-ranking Mexican cause cartel leader accused of faking his decease to debar seizure was sentenced Thursday to much than 11 years successful U.S. situation for his wealth laundering relation successful 1 of his location country's largest and astir convulsive narcotics trafficking organizations.

Cristian Fernando Gutierrez-Ochoa was surviving successful California nether a phony individuality erstwhile helium was arrested successful November 2024. The begetter of his longtime woman is Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the fugitive Jalisco New Generation brag known arsenic El Mencho.

Gutierrez-Ochoa was wanted successful Mexico connected suspicion of kidnapping 2 Mexican Navy members successful 2021 to unafraid the merchandise of El Mencho's woman aft she had been arrested by Mexican authorities, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration agent's affidavit.

At the clip of his arrest, Nicole Argentieri, a elder Justice Department official, said Gutierrez-Ochoa "allegedly directed the importation of tons of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and engaged successful unit to assistance the cartel's transgression activities."

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell successful Washington sentenced Gutierrez-Ochoa to 11 years and 8 months successful national prison. Howell said the convulsive cartel, known by its Spanish-language acronym CJNG, besides is simply a "dangerous force" successful the United States.

"It's a unsafe mode to marque a living," Howell said. "It's a unsafe mode to live."

Gutierrez-Ochoa told the justice that helium accepts work for his "mistake."

"I regret each of this," helium said done a translator. "Never again volition I marque a mistake similar this successful my life."

Justice Department prosecutors recommended a 14-year situation condemnation for the 28-year-old Gutierrez-Ochoa, who pleaded blameworthy successful June to conspiring to launder millions of dollars successful cause trafficking proceeds. Prosecutors described him arsenic a dangerous, trained operative who was secretly embedded successful the U.S. to bash the CJNG cartel's bidding.

"The CJNG kills, tortures, and corrupts to postulation staggering quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and different drugs into the United States and elsewhere - each for profiting and enrichment, which successful crook money the rhythm of violence, ravaging countless lives and communities," prosecutors wrote.

Last year, the U.S. imposed sanctions on a radical of Mexican accountants and firms allegedly linked to a timeshare fraud ring run by the Jalisco cartel successful a multi-million dollar strategy targeting Americans.

Gutierrez-Ochoa's lawyers asked for a seven-year situation sentence. They said helium was remorseful and accepted work for his transgression conduct.

"Mr. Gutierrez's rehabilitation is not performative," they wrote. "It reflects a young antheral who present afloat understands the magnitude of his mistakes and who seeks to rebuild his beingness with integrity."

El Mencho told associates that helium killed Gutierrez-Ochoa for lying, but Gutierrez-Ochoa really faked his decease and fled from Mexico to Riverside, California, authorities person said. Gutierrez-Ochoa and his girlfriend, a U.S. citizen, lived "a CJNG-sponsored beingness of abundance" successful a $1.2 cardinal location purchased with laundered cartel money, according to prosecutors.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said antecedently that Gutierrez-Ochoa "assumed a mendacious individuality to evade justness and unrecorded a beingness of luxury successful California."

The State Department has offered a reward of up to $15 million for accusation starring to the apprehension of El Mencho.

In February, President Donald Trump's medication designated CJNG arsenic a overseas violent organization, giving authorities caller tools to prosecute cartel associates.

Howell has sentenced different CJNG leaders.

José González Valencia, a brother-in-law of El Mencho, was sentenced successful June to 30 years successful a situation aft pleading blameworthy to a cause trafficking conspiracy charge. El Mencho's son, Rubén Oseguera, known arsenic El Menchito, was sentenced successful March to beingness successful situation aft a assemblage convicted him of conspiring to administer cocaine and methamphetamine for U.S. importation and utilizing a firearm successful a cause conspiracy.