‘Cara de Cochi’ Was Secretly Indicted in Tucson in 2019: Court Records List Jesús Darío Murrieta Navarro as Defendant No. 2 Beside Caro Quintero’s Nephew, in a Case Over Drug Runs From Lukeville, Arizona, to Phoenix
Jesús Darío Murrieta Navarro, the alleged Caborca Cartel enforcer known as “El Cara de Cochi,” has been under a sealed federal indictment in Tucson, Arizona, since July 31, 2019. Federal court records show he is defendant No. 2 in the case, listed right after Rafael Caro Quintero’s nephew Rodrigo Omar Páez Quintero, “El R.” That case is about drug runs through Lukeville, Arizona, the border crossing many Arizonans use to drive to Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco). Mexican forces arrested Murrieta Navarro on Oct. 10 in Valle de Bravo, State of Mexico.
What the Arizona court record shows
The docket for United States v. Paez-Quintero (No. 4:19-cr-02042, U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona), as indexed by the free court-records site CourtListener, lists 10 defendants. It names “Jesus Dario Murrieta-Navarro” as defendant No. 2, charged in counts 1, 5 and 7 plus a forfeiture allegation. The indictment was sealed the day it was filed and unsealed by court order on July 18, 2024. The docket doesn’t show him arrested in the United States.
Milenio (Oct. 12, 2026) reported that he and “El R” appear in a July 2019 Arizona indictment and that he faces three counts over an alleged conspiracy to possess heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl for distribution. Citing Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR), Milenio said “El R” had “El Cara de Cochi” as his head of hitmen. Our earlier coverage said the U.S. court and charges hadn’t been reported; the docket now answers that.
Lukeville to Phoenix
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) said on July 18, 2024, that the indictment alleges Páez Quintero took part in at least nine drug-trafficking events in the year before March 2019. Those events ran from the Lukeville Port of Entry through Ajo to Phoenix. HSI said he was extradited from Mexico on July 12, 2024, and that each count carries up to life in prison.
The latest docket entry we could see, dated June 22, 2026, shows Judge James A. Soto rejected a joint request to set Páez Quintero’s change of plea and sentencing together. He ordered the parties to send him the plea agreement by June 29. We found no later public update.
Where his Mexican case stands
State of Mexico prosecutors said after the arrest that Murrieta Navarro has an active arrest warrant in Sonora and faces extradition proceedings to the United States, Infobae reported. He is presumed innocent in both countries. Milenio and N+ link him to “Carlitos Rugrats,” a lieutenant of the Los Mayos faction. For conditions on the Rocky Point road, see our Rocky Point safety guide.
Sources
- CourtListener: United States v. Paez-Quintero, 4:19-cr-02042 (D. Ariz.), docket
- Milenio, Oct. 12, 2026
- Homeland Security Investigations, July 18, 2024
- Infobae, Oct. 12, 2026
- Photos: Defensa, via Milenio; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, via Wikimedia Commons
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Reported Oct. 18, 2026, from the federal court docket, a 2024 HSI release and Mexican media. The indictment text is redacted publicly, so we could not see which acts counts 1, 5 and 7 cover. An indictment is an accusation, not proof of guilt.