Couple Accused of Smuggling $300 Million in Oil for Mexican Cartels Arrested in Utah

A Utah couple, along with two of their children, are facing federal charges after being accused of running an oil smuggling operation from Mexico into the United States, allegedly in collaboration with Mexican cartels. According to authorities, the scheme would have generated at least $300 million in illicit profits.

James Lael Jensen and Kelly Anne Jensen were arrested last Wednesday during a joint U.S. Marshals operation carried out in several states. The arrests occurred at their Sandy mansion, a nearly 2,500-square-meter property valued at approximately $9.1 million, according to official records.

Operation with special teams

Due to the Jensens' possible link to criminal organizations, the team in charge of the operation used specialized tools, such as battering rams, similar to those used by SWAT teams. An anonymous source close to the case stated that the entry to the property was carried out tactically, given the level of risk.

Court documents reveal that, along with their sons Max and Zachary, the couple conspired to smuggle nearly 2,900 shipments of crude oil into the United States between May 2022 and 2025. In addition, they are accused of laundering money obtained through transactions with cartel-controlled Mexican companies.

Shell companies and fraudulent documentation

Part of the illegal operation included the use of companies and bank accounts in both the United States and Mexico to hide the origin of the funds. Payments for the oil were sent to entities in Mexico under the control of criminal organizations, and according to the indictment, James Jensen was fully aware of this nexus.

The family business, Arroyo Terminals, located in Rio Hondo, Texas, was also raided on the same day as the arrests. Dedicated to the crude oil trade, the company operated its own fleet of 30,000-barrel barges and had storage tanks near the Arroyo Colorado, according to information posted on its website.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the oil transported was not genuine crude oil but rather residues of lubricating oils and petroleum distillates, camouflaged with false customs documentation to cross the border.

Legal action following arrest

Following their arrest, James and Kelly Jensen were released under certain conditions: they must remain in Utah unless special permission is granted, surrender their passports, and report regularly to a parole officer, ABC 4 reported.

The investigation remains active. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) spokeswoman Nina Pruneda said they could not release further details at this time but welcomed interest in the case. For its part, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirmed its collaboration in the enforcement actions in Texas.