Federal Jury Convicts Two Men with Ties to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel

United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that in El Paso, a federal jury this afternoon convicted two men with ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel in connection with a conspiracy to smuggle over 100 tons of marijuana from Mexico into the United States.

The jury convicted 40-year-old Fernando Ontiveros-Arambula and 19-year-old Manuel Chavez-Betancourt of conspiracy to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. The jury also convicted Arambula, but acquitted Chavez-Betancourt, of one count of conspiracy to import over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana.