DOJ: Oscar Salvador Pelayo-Guzman, Linked to Mexican Cartel, Pleads Guilty in Newark to Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy Involving About 20 Kilograms
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced on October 29 that Oscar Salvador Pelayo-Guzman, 55, a Mexican national most recently living in Kansas, pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark to a cocaine trafficking conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced the plea, which was entered before U.S. District Judge Jamel K. Semper.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, Pelayo-Guzman is associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico and is a principal member of a Kansas City-based drug trafficking organization. Beginning in January 2025, he and his co-conspirators conspired to transport large quantities of cocaine to New Jersey. In April 2025, Pelayo-Guzman traveled to New Jersey and arranged for a shipment of approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine to be delivered to Newark from California by truck, in exchange for more than $300,000 in cash. The two couriers were arrested after the delivery, and Pelayo-Guzman was arrested shortly afterwards.
The two other defendants, Jose Manuel Amaya Villarreal and Reymond Alex Avina Samaniego, both of California, previously pleaded guilty. Villarreal was sentenced to 57 months in prison on August 7, 2026; Samaniego's sentencing is scheduled for November 9, 2026.
The cocaine conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million. Pelayo-Guzman's sentencing is scheduled for March 1, 2027.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Monmouth and Ocean County prosecutors' offices and several local police departments. The case is part of Operation Take Back America. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick is prosecuting the case.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：New Jersey 州 Newark 市天际线，本案在 Newark 联邦法院审理。照片：King of Hearts 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The skyline of Newark, New Jersey, where the case was heard in federal court. Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
