A quiet ranch tucked into a Riverside County valley is now at the center of a federal forfeiture fight, with U.S. authorities seeking to seize the property they say belongs to one of the world’s most sought-after drug traffickers.
Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, 41, of Santa Ana, has been identified as the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel nearly five months after his stepfather, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, was killed in a Mexican military anti-drug operation.
Valencia was only 26 and living in Orange County when he purchased the Hemet, California, ranch, reportedly paying just $250,000 for the property.
The land sits within a rural ranching enclave surrounded by farmland and high-end homes, according to a visit by El País.
For Gonzalez, the spread appeared to function as a private retreat from Santa Ana, the city where he was born and where members of his family still reside.
A federal enforcement source told El País the ranch is still overseen by the cartel leader’s uncle. Roosters, dogs and other farm animals remained on the property, where warning signs posted along the fence read “security cameras and audio recorder in use” and “beware of dogs.”
Last month, the U.S. Justice Department filed a court action seeking to take control of the ranch, alleging the property is tied to Gonzalez. The forfeiture case remains pending.
Valencia Gonzalez, known by aliases including “Baldy,” “Bimbo,” “Pelón” and “R-3,” comes from a family with deep ties to the drug trade on both sides of his lineage.
READ MORE: Michael Scripps Wikipedia And Age: Is He Still In Jail?
His biological father Armando Cornelio was the founder of the Milenio cartel in the 1970s. His mother remarried El Mencho and was part of the “Cuinis” gang, the financial branch of the Jalisco Cartel.
Valencia rose through the cartel ranks and became one of the leaders of “Grupo Elite,” the criminal organization’s armed wing.
Gonzalez, who has a $25 million reward hanging over his head, had “organized numerous violent acts… in addition to manufacturing, transporting, and distributing tons of narcotics,” according to the Department of Justice.
The ranch is roughly 209,000 square feet, El Pais reported, and has seen its land value rise to up to $695,000 alongside California’s increasingly expensive housing market.
Reportedly, a horse trainer rents the property and paid a $1,500 monthly rent for the past three years in cash. But this month, the trainer got told he needed to leave.
“I didn’t ask questions because it’s not a good idea,” the tenant, who refused to be identified, told El Pais.
The tenant, who said he knows nothing about the owners, said the animals and other things seen on the ranch are his. He met Gonzalez through mutual acquaintances some time ago.
Gonzalez, a US citizen, is still on the loose. Earlier this month, the federal government announced new charges and rewards against Gonzalez and some of his cartel mates.
“The American people gave us a mandate to keep this country safe, and we will not rest until it is fulfilled,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
