Crime & Safety
Feds Move To Seize Hemet Ranch Allegedly Tied To Wanted Drug Cartel Boss
Juan Carlos Valencia González is one of the DEA's most wanted fugitives. There is $25 million bounty on him.
HEMET, CA — Federal prosecutors are seeking to seize a 4.8-acre Hemet ranch allegedly tied to Juan Carlos Valencia González, the suspected top leader of Mexico’s powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture action in July against the property on Three Springs Road, according to reporting by The Press-Enterprise.
Valencia González, a 41-year-old Santa Ana native, is one of the Drug Enforcement Administration's most wanted fugitives and carries a $25 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
According to court filings, Valencia González assumed leadership of the CJNG following the February death of his stepfather, longtime cartel boss Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes, who was killed in a Mexican military operation. Indicted in 2020 on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges, Valencia González faces up to two consecutive life sentences if captured and convicted, according to the PE.
The U.S. State Department designated the CJNG a foreign terrorist organization in 2025.
Property records show Valencia González purchased the Hemet land in March 2011 for $250,000 under the name Juan Carlos González. The property's assessed value is currently $326,692, with market estimates reaching $841,000. Citing DEA sources, reports indicate the ranch is currently managed by Valencia González’s uncle, an Orange County resident, according to the PE.
Addressing the forfeiture action, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told the PE that cartel-linked properties are widespread throughout local communities, including Hemet, Perris, Mead Valley, and Riverside.
Bianco criticized state sanctuary policies, specifically Senate Bill 54, arguing that restrictions on coordinating with federal immigration authorities limit local law enforcement's ability to investigate foreign nationals connected to international drug trafficking networks operating within the county.
