Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez, known as El Menchito, was convicted of conspiring to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, and other charges, according to a Sept. 24 news release from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In his two week trial, the jury heard that Oseguera-Gonzalez, 34, led an international drug trafficking ring between 2007 and 2017 that was responsible for bringing large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine into the US from Mexico. He is the second in command for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) out of the State of Jalisco, in Mexico.
“As second-in-command of CJNG, Ruben Oseguera-Gonzalez used extreme violence to traffic massive amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States," said Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "His conviction underscores the Criminal Division’s commitment to disrupting and dismantling organizations that manufacture and distribute deadly drugs into our communities."
"Today’s verdict also sends a powerful message to the cartel leadership: we will work with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to find you and bring you to justice," Argentieri said. "We are especially grateful to the Mexican authorities for their substantial assistance in this case."
From 2012-2015, Oseguera-Gonzalez oversaw the manufacture of 3,000,000 pounds of methamphetamine; in 2015, he directed the distribution of more than 55,000 pounds of cocaine, according to the DEA news release and evidence presented at trial. He was arrested by Mexican authorities on local charges in June 2015, then was extradited to the United States in February 2020.
Oseguera-Gonzalez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 40 years in prison and a statutory maximum penalty of life plus 30 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2025.
The DEA was founded in 1973 to ensure proper implementation of U.S. laws regarding controlled substances and to bring entities involved in production, distribution, or trafficking of such substances to either criminal or civil justice, according to its website. The current DEA Administrator is Anne Milgram, serving since 2021.
