California Teens Sentenced in Mexican Cartel-Linked Murder Case at Southern California Chilli’s

Two teenagers from Los Angeles, involved with the Sinaloa Cartel, have been sentenced to 25 years in prison for their attempt to assassinate a rival in Southern California.

Andrew “Shooter” Nunez, 16, and Johncarlo “Dumper” Quintero, 17, received their sentences on Friday after admitting to charges of attempted murder and the inadvertent killing of an associate gang member.

The duo, who were only 15 at the time, attempted to carry out a hit at a Chilli’s restaurant in the San Diego area and later at the victim’s residence in March 2024, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for California’s Southern District. They anticipated a $50,000 reward each for the hit.

Operating as contract killers for the cartel, they traveled from Los Angeles to Chula Vista, targeting the man as he exited the restaurant with his family. Quintero managed to shoot the victim in the leg before his firearm malfunctioned. The victim escaped as the teens attempted, without success, to run him over.

The next morning, they returned to the victim’s home accompanied by a 28-year-old accomplice, Ricardo Sanchez. Finding their target absent, they began shooting at the residence, where two relatives of the target and a friend were present.

The friend, after being hit in the hand, arm, and face, retaliated with gunfire, resulting in the death of Sanchez. The teenagers then made their escape.

The teens pleaded guilty last December to charges of murder and attempted murder charges while admitting they were hired as hitmen. They also admitted to knowing that they could not be charged as adults for the crime and were recruited because of that.

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement that a California Senate bill had made state prosecutions of 14- and 15-year-olds a “practical impossibility,” and the Sinaloa Cartel recruited “accordingly.”

He suggested the sentence proves juveniles can face steep punishment for acting on behalf of organized crime organizations.

“No to the Sinaloa Cartel recruiting juveniles. No to the Mexican Mafia directing gangland hits in San Diego. No to a lack of consequences for juveniles who would do their bidding,” Gordon said.

Three Sinaloa Cartel associates accused of conspiring with the teens to kill the cartel target have also been indicted and were scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

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