Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Internewscast Journal
  • Home
  • US News
  • Local News
  • Health
  • People
  • Guest Post
  • Support Our Cause
Home Local news Top Associate of Drug Lord ‘El Mencho’ Sentenced to 30 Years as US Intensifies Crackdown on Cartels
  • Local news

Top Associate of Drug Lord ‘El Mencho’ Sentenced to 30 Years as US Intensifies Crackdown on Cartels

    Close ally of drug kingpin 'El Mencho' gets 30 years in prison as US ramps up pressure on cartels
    Up next
    Barry Morphew charged with wife's murder five years after she vanished
    Barry Morphew Accused of Killing Wife Five Years After Her Disappearance
    Published on 20 June 2025
    Author
    Internewscast
    Tags
    • 039El,
    • ALLY,
    • cartels,
    • Close,
    • Cristian Fernando Gutierrez Ochoa,
    • Donald Trump,
    • drug,
    • gets,
    • José González Valencia,
    • kingpin,
    • Matthew Galeotti,
    • Mencho039,
    • Nemesio Rubén,
    • Politics,
    • Pressure,
    • prison,
    • Rafael Caro Quintero,
    • ramps,
    • Rubén Oseguera,
    • U.S. news,
    • Washington news,
    • years
    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest

    WASHINGTON – For several years, a close associate of the elusive Jalisco New Generation leader, known as “El Mencho,” orchestrated an extensive drug trafficking network. Utilizing a semi-submersible and other tactics to evade capture, he also armed one of Mexico’s most formidable cartels, according to prosecutors.

    José González Valencia was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. federal prison in Washington on Friday following his 2017 capture at a Brazilian beach resort where he was vacationing with his family under an alias.

    González Valencia, 49, also referred to as “Chepa,” alongside his two brothers, spearheaded “Los Cuinis,” a group that funded the drug trafficking endeavors of the Jalisco New Generation cartel, or CJNG. This violent cartel was recently named a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. His brother-in-law is CJNG’s leader, Nemesio Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, who has been a target of the U.S. government for years.

    Meanwhile, El Mencho’s son-in-law, Cristian Fernando Gutiérrez Ochoa, appeared in the same courtroom earlier Friday to plead guilty in a separate case to a money laundering conspiracy charge. Gutierrez Ochoa was arrested toward the end of the Biden administration last year in California, where authorities have said he was living under a bogus name after faking his own death and fleeing Mexico.

    Together, the prosecutions reflect the U.S. government’s efforts to weaken the brutal Jalisco New Generation cartel that’s responsible for importing staggering amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the U.S. — and track down its elusive leader. The Trump administration has sought to turn up the pressure on CJNG and other cartels with the foreign terrorist organization designation, which gives authorities new tools to prosecute those associated with cartels.

    “You can’t totally prosecute your way out of the cartel problem, but you can make an actual impact by letting people know that we’re going to be enforcing this and showing that Mexico is being cooperative with us and then ultimately trying to get high level targets to sort of set the organization back,” Matthew Galeotti, who lead the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

    Trump’s Justice Department has declared dismantling CJNG and other cartels a top priority, and Galetotti said the U.S. in recent months has seen increased cooperation from Mexican officials. In February, Mexico sent 29 cartel figures — including drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, who was behind the killing of a U.S. DEA agent in 1985 — to the U.S. for prosecution.

    The Trump administration has already charged a handful of defendants with terrorism offenses since designating CJNG and seven other Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations in February. Galeotti said several additional indictments related to CJNG and other cartels remain under seal.

    “We are taking a division-wide approach to this,” Galeotti said. “We’ve got money laundering prosecutors who are not just focused on the cartels themselves … but also on financial facilitators. So when we’re taking this broad approach … that’s why I think we’ve had some of the really significant cases that we’ve had, and we’ve seen a very significant pipeline.”

    González Valencia pleaded guilty to international cocaine trafficking in 2022. Authorities say he went into hiding in Bolivia in 2015 after leading “Los Cuinis” alongside his brothers for more than a decade. He was arrested in 2017 under the first Trump administration after traveling to Brazil, and was later extradited to the U.S.

    “Los Cuinis” used “air, land, sea, and under-the-sea methods” to smuggle drugs bound for the U.S., prosecutors say. In one instance, authorities say González Valencia invested in a shipment of 4,000 kilograms of cocaine that was packed in a semi-submersible vessel to travel from Colombia to Guatemala. Other methods employed by “Los Cuinis” include hiding drugs in frozen shark carcasses, prosecutors say. He’s also accused of directing the killing of a rival.

    He appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit and listened to the hearing through an interpreter over headphones. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sealed part of the hearing, keeping the press and public out of the courtroom while lawyers argued over the sentence. It was not clear why the judge determined it had to be sealed. González Valencia’s lawyer declined to comment after the hearing.

    In the other case, Gutiérrez Ochoa was wanted in Mexico on allegations that he kidnapped 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, prosecutors have said. Authorities have said he faked his own death and fled to the U.S. to avoid Mexican authorities, and “El Mencho” told associates that he killed Gutiérrez Ochoa for lying.

    “El Mencho’s” son, Rubén Oseguera — known as “El Menchito” — was sentenced to March to life in prison after his conviction in Washington’s federal court of conspiring to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for U.S. importation and using a firearm in a drug conspiracy.

    ___

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

    Share this @internewscast.com
    FacebookXRedditPinterest
    You May Also Like
    'Got the baby!': Good Samaritan saves 7-month-old girl abandoned in Little Italy after carjacking
    • Local news

    “Hero Rescues Abandoned 7-Month-Old Girl Following Little Italy Carjacking”

    CHICAGO (WGN) — Last Thursday, Earl Abernathy was stuck in traffic on…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Photo provided by Chicago police shows 13-year-old Elianny Garcia-Gonzalez, who officers say has been missing since June 27, 2025.
    • Local news

    Teenager missing for almost two weeks was last spotted in Chicago

    CHICAGO A search continues this week for a teen girl who Chicago…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Democratic leaders condemn Florida Republican's 'Islamophobic' attack on Omar
    • Local news

    Democratic Leaders Criticize Florida Republican for Making ‘Islamophobic’ Remarks About Omar

    Democratic leaders on Wednesday condemned comments made by Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.)…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf are pictured.
    • Local news

    Court Date Announced for Karmelo Anthony in Deadly Track Meet Stabbing Case

    () A date has been set in the murder trial of Karmelo…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Dershowitz says he knows Epstein client list names
    • Local news

    Dershowitz Claims to Be Aware of Names on Epstein’s Client List

    Lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Thursday said he knows the list of names…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Lithuanian president honors 4 fallen Fort Stewart soldiers
    • Local news

    Lithuanian President Pays Tribute to Four Fallen Fort Stewart Soldiers

    FORT STEWART, Ga. () — Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has posthumously bestowed…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    State Department tells staffers that layoff notices are coming soon
    • Local news

    State Department Warns Employees of Imminent Layoff Notices

    WASHINGTON (AP) The State Department formally advised staffers Thursday that it would…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Passenger charged with abduction after alleged pursuit in Bristol, Va.
    • Local news

    Passenger Faces Abduction Charge Following Alleged Bristol, Va. Chase

    BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — Authorities arrested a North Carolina man on Tuesday…
    • Internewscast
    • July 10, 2025
    Gamers speak out on Polk County ‘swatting’ calls: 'There's no reason to do all that'
    • Local news

    Polk County Gamers Condemn ‘Swatting’ Incidents: ‘It’s Completely Unnecessary’

    POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A video game is leading to real-world…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Aiken man arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor
    • Local news

    Aiken Resident Charged with Child Exploitation

    AIKEN, S.C. () – A man has been taken into custody by…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Judge rules Mahmoud Khalil can't be detained over claims he's compromising foreign policy
    • Local news

    Mahmoud Khalil Demands $20 Million from Trump Administration for Wrongful Imprisonment

    () A Palestinian activist, Mahmoud Khalil, who spent more than three months…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Senators hit funding snag over Trump FBI headquarters move
    • Local news

    Senators Face Funding Hurdle for Relocating Trump FBI Headquarters

    The Senate Appropriations Committee sputtered Thursday as its consideration of the annual…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    State Department firing more than 1,300 employees under President Donald Trump administration plan, officials say
    • US

    Trump Administration’s Plan Leads to Over 1,300 State Department Employee Dismissals, Officials Report

    The State Department is set to terminate over 1,300 employees this Friday…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz UNFOLLOW brothers Cruz after Romeo
    • Entertainment

    Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz Stop Following Brothers Cruz and Romeo on Social Media

    Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola Peltz have taken the step of…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    California clinic staffers seek to shield ICE agents from detaining Honduran landscaper
    • US

    California Clinic Employees Strive to Protect Honduran Landscaper from ICE Detention

    At a surgical center in California, staff members were recorded on video…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Trump-Harvard fight escalates after president said deal was close
    • Local news

    Tensions Rise Between Trump and Harvard Following President’s Claims of Imminent Agreement

    (The Hill) — The Trump administration is intensifying its conflict with Harvard…
    • Internewscast
    • July 11, 2025
    Internewscast Journal
    • Home
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Guest Post
    • Support Our Cause
    Copyright 2023. All Right Reserverd.