Cartels Turn to Children to Evade Justice (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Chula Vista, California – Two teenagers from the Los Angeles area received 25-year federal prison sentences for their roles as hired killers in a Sinaloa Cartel plot that targeted a rival at a local Chili’s restaurant and escalated into a deadly shootout.[1][2]
Cartels Turn to Children to Evade Justice
Sinaloa Cartel associates deliberately recruited minors for the hit, exploiting California laws that limited prosecutions of 14- and 15-year-olds.[1] Andrew Nunez and Johncarlo Quintero, both 15 at the time, belonged to the Mexican Mafia-linked Westside Wilmas gang in Wilmington.[1] They expected around $50,000 each for eliminating the target, identified as James “El Apache” Bryant Corona, a supposed leader of a rival Arellano Félix Organization cell.[2]
The plot stemmed from a November 2023 drug heist in Tijuana, where corrupt police allegedly aided the rival group, prompting cartel retaliation.[2] Recruiters Poly Antunez, Antonio Quinones, and Jovanny Enriquez face conspiracy charges in a trial set for October 2026.[1] Federal intervention ensured the teens faced adult consequences.
Parking Lot Ambush at Chili’s Unravels
On March 26, 2024, Nunez drove Quintero from Los Angeles to a Chili’s in Chula Vista, where the target dined with his family.[1] As the group left the parking lot around 9 p.m., Quintero stepped out and fired a single shot, striking the victim in the legs.[2] The gun jammed before more rounds could fire…