Sinaloa Cartel Drug Transporter Pleads Guilty to International Drug Trafficking

Juan Hernandez Ochoa, 51, of Mexico, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana for unlawful importation into the United States.

According to court documents, Hernandez Ochoa worked from 2015 to 2017 as a distributor and transporter for various drug traffickers affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel. Hernandez Ochoa employed a network of associates to transport marijuana and methamphetamine from Mexican border towns into the United States using private planes, human couriers, tunnels, semi-trailer trucks, and vehicles with hidden compartments. He also coordinated the transportation of cash for the purchase of drugs and its repatriation from the U.S. following their sale. Hernandez Ochoa pleaded guilty to moving hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana from Mexico to the United States.

"Juan Hernandez Ochoa will no longer be able to enrich himself by pushing poison into our communities thanks to the prosecutors involved in this case and the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by President Trump," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Today's guilty plea is another major blow to the Sinaloa Cartel and the transnational criminal organizations that profit from addiction, violence, and death. Our message is simple: we will not stop until these cartels are dismantled and their leaders are brought to justice."

"Combating violent crime, disrupting drug trafficking organizations, and holding accountable dangerous individuals like Mr. Hernandez Ochoa remains a top priority," said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of FBI Phoenix. "This investigation highlights the mission of the HSTF, which includes targeting leaders from transnational criminal organizations and dismantling drug trafficking networks, wherever they operate. We will continue to work with our partners to produce real and impactful results for our communities."

Hernandez Ochoa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana for importation into the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 2, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Tucson field office is investigating the case. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in Hernandez Ochoa's extradition, and the Justice Department thanks the Government of Mexico for its assistance in securing Hernandez Ochoa's presence in the United States for prosecution.

Trial Attorneys Jayce Born, Michael Lang, Richard Greene, and Kirk Handrich of the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section's (MNF) Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit are prosecuting the case.

MNF's mission is to take the profit out of crime, eliminate drug cartels, and protect the U.S. financial system. MNF pursues criminal prosecutions and criminal and civil asset recovery actions involving: financial facilitators who launder profits for criminals; financial institutions and their officers and employees whose actions threaten the U.S. financial system and financial institutions; international money launderers who support transnational organized crime; and the top command and control of international drug trafficking organizations.

MNF's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit investigates and prosecutes the top command-and-control elements of international drug cartels, drug trafficking organizations, and related transnational criminal organizations.

This case is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.