Cristian Fernando Gutierrez Ochoa, son-in-law of Jalisco New Generation cartel boss ‘El Mencho’, arrested in Riverside, California

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A top leader of a Mexican drug cartel who has been living in the United States under a false 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 charges in Riverside, where he lived under an assumed name after fleeing. Prosecutors said Mexico.

Prosecutors say Gutierrez Ochoa, 37, faked his own death and fled to the United States to escape Mexican authorities after kidnapping two members of the Mexican Navy in 2021. His father-in-law, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” told associates: The Justice Department said Gutierrez Ochoa was killed because he lied about helping “El Mencho” escape to the United States to be with his daughter.

Gutierrez Ochoa is accused of conspiring to import thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States and using violence to further the cartel’s illegal activities. He is accused of kidnapping two members of the Mexican Navy in 2021 in order to secure the release of “El Mencho’s” wife after her arrest by Mexican authorities, according to the Department of Justice.

“The Jalisco Cartel, one of the world’s most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations, is weaker today due to law enforcement’s dogged efforts to track down and arrest a cartel leader who allegedly faked his own death and assumed a false identity to evade justice,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. “We can live a luxurious life in California,” he said.

An email seeking comment was sent to an attorney appointed to represent Gutierrez Ochoa.

The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of “El Mencho,” a play on his name.

“El Mencho’s” son was convicted in a US federal court in September on charges that he used violence, including the fatal shooting down of a military helicopter, to help his father run one of the country’s largest and most dangerous drug trafficking organizations.

Rubén Oseguera, known as “El Menchito,” was found guilty after a trial in Washington federal court on charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for import into the United States and using a firearm in a drug conspiracy.