Teen Gangsters Plead Guilty To Serving As Hitmen For Deadly Drug Cartel

Two teenage gang members pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to murder and attempted murder charges after admitting they served as hired hitmen for Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

Fifteen-year-olds Andrew Nunez and Johncarlo Quintero acknowledged carrying out two coordinated assassination attempts within five hours on March 26–27, 2024, targeting the same victim in Chula Vista, Calif., according to a Justice Department press release. The attacks left two people wounded and one man dead.

Nunez and Quintero, both members of the Mexican Mafia-affiliated Westside Wilmas gang from the greater Los Angeles area, drove from Wilmington, Calif., to a Chili’s restaurant in Chula Vista on the evening of March 26. Their target, identified as Victim 1, was dining with family members.

As Victim 1 and his family walked through the parking lot, Quintero exited the vehicle and fired a single shot, striking Victim 1 in the legs. Quintero’s firearm jammed before he could fire again, Nunez then tried to run over Victim 1 with the car but failed. The pair fled the scene.

Hours later, in the early morning of March 27, the teenagers returned to finish the job. This time, they brought a third accomplice, 28-year-old Ricardo Sanchez. Prosecutors said each participant expected a payment of roughly $50,000. The trio approached Victim 1’s nearby luxury apartment with firearms.

Inside the residence were Victim 1’s family members, including a minor and a friend identified as Victim 4. Sanchez knocked on the door. When Victim 4 responded, Nunez and Quintero opened fire, spraying bullets into the home. Prosecutors said the teens