By The Opinion
Antonio Oseguera Cervantesalias “Tony Montana” and brother of the deceased Nemesio Oseguerawho was historical leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), formally expressed his intention to plead guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court in Washington.
The hearing in which this declaration would become effective is scheduled for mid-June, provided that the court grants the extension requested jointly by the prosecution and defense.
The agreement under negotiation seeks to prevent Oseguera from facing an oral trial and, above all, evade a conviction that could lead to life in prison. The charges against him include conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and other chemical drugs destined for the United States, as well as the illicit use of firearms.
In the document presented to the judge, both parties argued that they require at least sixty additional days to finalize the terms of the agreement and the documentation linked to the abbreviated procedure.
The defendant, considered by the US Department of Justice as a priority target with a high criminal profile, served as the predominant financial and logistics operator of the CJNG.
Tony Montana was arrested in Mexico in 2022 and expelled to US territory in 2023, forming part of the first group of high-ranking drug traffickers handed over during the current administration. Figures such as Rafael Caro Quintero, Vicente Carrillo Fuentes and the brothers Miguel and Omar Treviño Morales traveled on that same flight.
According to the Expansión Política site, talks between the prosecutors in charge of the case and Oseguera’s legal representatives began at the end of last year. The court motion requests to postpone the status hearing originally scheduled for April, moving it to June or the earliest available date on the court’s agenda.
The case of Antonio Oseguera Cervantes is part of the sustained offensive by US authorities against the high command of Mexican criminal organizations.
The expectation within the federal court in Washington is that the June hearing will serve only to formalize the terms of the guilty plea and give way to the corresponding sentence, unless some agenda impediment arises in the judicial calendar.
Keep reading:
– Brother of “El Mencho” does not reach an agreement with US prosecutors and asks for more time.
– The United States imposes a life sentence on the son of “El Mencho”, leader of the CJNG.
