Jalisco Cartel kingpins secret California ranch in Riverside County revealed

One of the world’s most-wanted drug traffickers owns an unsuspecting ranch in a Riverside County valley — and the federal government is trying to seize it.Juan Carlos Valencia Gonzalez, 41, of Santa Ana, is the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, nearly five months after his stepfather, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, was killed during a Mexican military anti-drug operation.When Valencia was just a 26-year-old living in Orange County, he bought a ranch in Hemet, California, that was offered to him for just $250,000.The property sits in a ranching community surrounded by farmland and upscale homes, according to a visit by El Pais.It was apparently Gonzalez’s “refuge” to escape from Santa Ana, where he was born and where relatives still live.The property is still managed by the cartel leader’s uncle, a federal enforcement source told El Pais.Roosters, dogs and farm animals were still on the ranch, with signs hanging on a fence with labels such as “security cameras and audio recorder in use” or “beware of dogs.” California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story The U.S.Justice Department filed in court an attempt to seize the property last month, alleging it’s connected to Gonzalez.

That case is pending.The cartel leader, whose nicknames include “Baldy,” “Bimbo,” “Pelón” and “R-3”, comes from drug-dealer royalty on both sides of the family.His biological father Armando Cornelio was the founder of the Milenio cartel in the 1970s.His mother remarried El Mencho and was part of the “Cuinis” gang, the financial branch of the Jalisco Cartel.Valencia rose through the cartel ranks and became one of the leaders of “Grupo Elite,” the criminal organization’s armed wing.Gonzalez, who has a $25 million reward hanging...