WASHINGTON, D.C. — Antonio Oseguera Cervantes, 67, of Michoacán, Mexico, known as "Tony Montana," was sentenced on November 13, 2026, to 270 months in prison for international drug trafficking and firearm offenses, the Justice Department announced.
Read the U.S. Department of Justice release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/mexican-cartel-leader-known-tony-montana-sentenced-armed-drug-trafficking-part-homeland
The announcement was made in a release from the Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs, Press Release No. 26-1359, according to the release.
Oseguera Cervantes is the brother of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho," officials reported.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine for importation into the United States, and to using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that conspiracy, according to the release.
Milenio Cartel Roots, Meth Laboratories, and a 2002 Return to Trafficking
According to court documents, Oseguera Cervantes distributed cocaine and methamphetamine for importation into the United States and supplied chemicals to methamphetamine laboratories, initially for the Milenio Cartel and later for the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
He joined the Milenio Cartel in around 2002, shortly after serving a federal prison sentence for conspiracy to distribute heroin in the United States, according to the release.
He was then deported to Mexico, where he resumed his illicit activities, officials reported.
As a leader of the Milenio Cartel, he oversaw narcotics sales, protected cartel territories from rival groups, and supervised and maintained methamphetamine laboratories, according to the release.
In 2010, after the Milenio Cartel's top leader was arrested, its military faction separated to create the CJNG, officials reported.
Reporting to El Mencho, Los Cuinis, and Armed Proceed Collection
Oseguera Cervantes's brother, Nemesio, also known as "Mencho," was a co-founder of the CJNG, who led the cartel from its inception in 2010 until he was killed in a Mexican military operation in February 2026, according to the release.
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Oseguera Cervantes reported directly to Mencho and worked with a CJNG-aligned cartel named Los Cuinis, officials reported.
He also managed CJNG's drug proceed collection and laundering and was armed with a pistol when collecting proceeds and attending meetings to discuss drug trafficking, according to the release.
"For more than two decades, Antonio Oseguera Cervantes helped fuel one of the world's most dangerous drug trafficking organizations, flooding America's communities with deadly drugs while enriching himself and his associates," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.
"The sentencing of Oseguera Cervantes demonstrates that no cartel leader is beyond the reach of American justice," said Administrator Terry Cole of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
February 2025 Transfer, DEA Investigation, and Homeland Security Task Force
Oseguera Cervantes was transferred from Mexico to the United States in February 2025 pursuant to Mexico's national security law, according to the release.
The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance to that transfer, and the department thanked the Government of Mexico for its assistance, officials reported.
The DEA's Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit Los Angeles investigated the case, according to the release.
Chief Kaitlin Sahni of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit and Trial Attorneys Lernik Begian, Douglas Meisel, and Maryann McGuire of the Criminal Division's Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section prosecuted the case, officials reported.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings, according to the release.
Anyone with information about cartel drug trafficking or related crimes can contact the DEA or their local law enforcement agency, and official updates on this case are published by the Justice Department.
Sources
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, Official Press Release No. 26-1359, November 13, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/mexican-cartel-leader-known-tony-montana-sentenced-armed-drug-trafficking-part-homeland
Transparency notes
Published: Nov 13, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.
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