‘El Guacho’, Son-in-Law of ‘El Mencho’, Sentenced to 11 Years and 8 Months in Prison for Money Laundering for the CJNG

Cristian Fernando Guiterrez Ochoa, aka El Guacho, was sentenced to 140 months, or 11 years and 8 months, in prison in the United States after pleading guilty to money laundering for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Gutiérrez is identified as the son-in-law of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, the founder and undisputed leader of the Jalisco Cartel, as he is the husband or partner of Laisha Oseguera González, one of the Mexican drug lord’s daughters. Intelligence reports also identify him as an operator involved in the transportation and trafficking of drugs to the United States.

The man, who is now 28 years old, was arrested at the luxurious residence where he lived in Riverside, California, on November 19, 2024, after fleeing Mexico.

According to the sentencing document issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Gutiérrez Ochoa has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for organized crime and kidnapping, as he is presumed to have been involved in the kidnapping of two marines in Zapopan, Jalisco, in November 2021, to negotiate the release of Rosalinda González Valencia, El Guacho’s mother-in-law and El Mencho’s wife.

‘El Mencho’ faked ‘El Guacho’s’ death and ordered him to hide in the U.S.

According to a confidential source from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), El Mencho faked the death of his son-in-law, El Guacho, to prevent his apprehension and, instead, sent him to hide in the United States along with his daughter Laisha, who also allegedly participated in the kidnapping of the Mexican marines.

It was in 2023, through a Mexican tequila company from Jalisco called Pasión Azul, that the CJNG acquired the mansion where Gutiérrez lived for about a year with his partner, Laisha Oseguera. “Along with El Mencho’s daughter, the defendant enjoyed a life of luxury sponsored by the CJNG in an exclusive residential neighborhood in Riverside, California. The defendant worked with other CJNG operatives to acquire this property under the name of a Mexican company owned and controlled by the CJNG for approximately $1.2 million in drug trafficking proceeds,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office states in its sentencing memorandum.

Charge against ‘El Guacho’ dismissed as part of plea agreement

As part of the plea agreement between the U.S. government and Gutiérrez Ochoa, formalized in June, the remaining charge against the defendant—conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine in the United States—was dismissed.

In addition, U.S. authorities are expected to seize the house where he lived, on Pamplona Drive in California, and more than two million dollars that were found with him, along with luxury items and three cars.

Sources: Milenio, Cartel Insider Archives