Federal authorities announced Tuesday that they have indicted the top leaders of a Mexican drug cartel and are offering rewards of up to $8 million for information leading to their capture and conviction.
Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, brothers, are accused of conspiring to manufacture cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, and to import and distribute these drugs in the United States. This comes after a grand jury returned a three-count indictment in September.
The brothers lead La Nueva Familia Michoacana, a Mexican cartel formally designated by the U.S. government in February as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
“If you contribute to the death of Americans by peddling poison into our communities, we will work relentlessly to find you and bring you to justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a news conference.
The U.S. State Department is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga’s arrest and/or conviction, and up to $3 million for information about Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, also known as “The Strawberry.” Both men are believed to be in Mexico.
In a separate announcement, the U.S. Treasury imposed new sanctions on the two brothers and two other alleged leaders of  La Nueva Familia Michoacana
Apart from drug trafficking, the cartel is involved in extortions, kidnappings, and murders, according to U.S. prosecutors.
In 2023, a Mexican human rights organization reported an attack on a community in the southern state of Guerrero, allegedly carried out by cartel members using drones and gunmen. At least  six people were killed, and 13 others were injured.
The cartel is also suspected of leaving a severed human leg hanging from a pedestrian bridge near Mexico City in 2023. Officials said the body was discarded below the bridge with signs from La Familia Michoacana.
The U.S. Treasury Department said the cartel has used drones to drop bombs on rival groups, showing a complete disregard for civilian safety. Additionally, the cartel terrorizes local communities through extortion, kidnappings, and killings.
In 2022, a leader of the cartel posted a social media video claiming responsibility for an attack that killed 20 people, asserting that the attack was targeted at him.
