“THEY WILL NEVER FIND MY QUIET ESCAPE IN THE VALLEY”!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AUTHORITIES SAY A WANTED JALISCO CARTEL BOSS BOUGHT A HIDDEN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RANCH… AND NOW FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ARE MOVING IN COURT TO SEIZE THE PROPERTY.
One of the world’s most-wanted drug traffickers owns an unsuspecting ranch in a Riverside County valley.
Now, the federal government is trying to seize the Hemet estate.
Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, 41, of Santa Ana, is the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
His leadership comes nearly five months after his stepfather, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, was killed during a Mexican military anti-drug operation.
Valencia took control of the criminal cartel following El Mencho’s death.
The Southern California real estate in question sits at 24892 Three Springs Rd. in Hemet.
When Valencia was a 26-year-old living in Orange County, he bought the Hemet ranch after it was offered to him for just $250,000.
The property is located in a ranching community surrounded by farmland and upscale homes, according to a visit by El Pais.
The estate is now valued at nearly $700,000.
According to El Pais, the ranch spans roughly 209,000 square feet.
It has seen its land value rise to up to $695,000 alongside California’s increasingly expensive housing market.
The property was apparently Gonzalez’s “refuge” to escape from Santa Ana.
Gonzalez was born in Santa Ana, where relatives still live.
The property is still managed by the cartel leader’s uncle, a federal enforcement source told El Pais.
Roosters, dogs and farm animals were still present on the ranch grounds.
Signs hanging on a fence display warnings such as “security cameras and audio recorder in use” or “beware of dogs.”
Last month, the U.S. Justice Department filed an attempt in court to seize the property.
Federal prosecutors allege the real estate is connected to Gonzalez.
That forfeiture case remains pending in court.
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Gonzalez is a United States citizen who remains on the loose.
The cartel leader goes by several aliases, including “Baldy,” “Bimbo,” “Pelón” and “R-3”.
Authorities note that he comes from drug-dealer royalty on both sides of his family.
His biological father, Armando Cornelio, was the founder of the Milenio cartel in the 1970s.
His mother later remarried El Mencho.
She was also part of the “Cuinis” gang, which operates as the financial branch of the Jalisco Cartel.
Valencia rose through the cartel ranks over time.
He eventually became one of the leaders of “Grupo Elite,” the criminal organization’s armed wing.
A reward of up to $25 million is currently offered for Valencia-Gonzalez.
Gonzalez had “organized numerous violent acts… in addition to manufacturing, transporting, and distributing tons of narcotics,” according to the Department of Justice.
Yet life on the Hemet property carried on under a tenancy arrangement.
A horse trainer reportedly rents the property and paid $1,500 in monthly rent in cash for the past three years.
But this month, the trainer was told he needed to leave the premises.
“I didn’t ask questions because it’s not a good idea,” the tenant, who refused to be identified, told El Pais.
The tenant stated that he knows nothing about the owners of the land.
He said the animals and other items seen on the ranch belong to him.
The tenant met Gonzalez through mutual acquaintances some time ago.
And federal authorities are continuing to increase pressure against the organization.
Earlier this month, the federal government announced new charges and rewards against Gonzalez and several of his cartel associates.
“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.
The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
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