Justice Department Charges La Nueva Familia Michoacana Leaders, Offers $8M Rewards

The U.S. Justice Department has unsealed indictments against Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, leaders of the Mexican cartel La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM), charging them with orchestrating the large-scale importation and distribution of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the United States. The Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the brothers and two other family members, alleging their involvement in drug trafficking, extortion, money laundering, and arms smuggling. The LNFM cartel is accused of trafficking tens of metric tons of narcotics annually and using violent tactics, including explosives and kidnappings, to terrorize communities. The State Department has offered up to $8 million in rewards for information leading to the brothers' capture, as they remain fugitives in Mexico. Officials emphasize that these actions reflect an intensified federal effort to disrupt violent drug cartels and their financial networks, aiming to protect American communities from the devastation caused by fentanyl and other illicit drugs.