Siblings Johnny and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, leaders of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM) drug cartel, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Georgia. They face charges of conspiring to manufacture and distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, with the knowledge these substances would be imported into the United States. The indictments were initially returned in September 2024 but have recently been made public.
Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, also identified by a number of aliases, was previously labeled as a Consolidated Priority Target by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. The Hurtado brothers remain fugitives and are believed to be in Mexico. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on the brothers and their siblings while the U.S. Department of State has recognized LNFM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
Franco Tabares Martinez, connected to the LNFM, has also been charged with conspiring to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. His sister, Guadalupe Tabares Martinez, has been charged with conspiracy to commit international money laundering and related offenses.
“Today’s indictments and OFAC sanctions against high-ranking LNFM cartel members sends a clear message: 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,” stated Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia, LNFM members are charged with bringing significant quantities of drugs into the U.S., wiring proceeds back to Mexico. "These federal indictments, in conjunction with the imposition of OFAC sanctions, send a strong message that we will tirelessly investigate, prosecute, and defund individuals around the globe who choose to import deadly drugs into, and risk the lives of the members of, our communities."
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent emphasized the administration's intention to apply pressure on drug cartels like LNFM. "The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to target the cartels and other violent organizations that attempt to exploit our communities and harm Americans.”
Senior Bureau Official F. Cartwright Weiland highlighted ongoing efforts with other federal agencies, stating, “President Trump has promised to crack down on the flow of deadly drugs into our country...by offering rewards totaling up to $8 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the Hurtado brothers.”
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Steven N. Schrank emphasized the comprehensive strategy of dismantling the LNFM organization. “The indictment of senior leaders of this brutal Mexican cartel and subsequent OFAC sanctions makes one thing clear, we are coming after these criminal networks and utilizing every weapon in our arsenal.”
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, focusing on eliminating cartels and protecting communities from violent criminals. It is being jointly investigated by DEA and HSI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Northern District of Georgia, with contributions from the Middle District of Georgia.
An indictment is an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.