{"id":2433884,"date":"2025-05-12T21:55:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T01:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utah-tycoon-and-wife-arrested-after-major-raid-accused-of-working-with-cartels\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T21:59:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T01:59:30","slug":"utah-tycoon-and-wife-arrested-after-major-raid-accused-of-working-with-cartels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utah-tycoon-and-wife-arrested-after-major-raid-accused-of-working-with-cartels\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah Tycoon and Wife Arrested After Major Raid, Accused of Working with Cartels"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futah-tycoon-and-wife-arrested-after-major-raid-accused-of-working-with-cartels%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2433884&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>James Lael Jensen and Kelly Anne Jensen,a couple from Utah,have been arrested following a federal raid on their mansion related to a major oil smuggling operation.They are accused of illegally importing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-greg-abbott-texas-must-fight-federal-overreach-biden-showing-extreme-hostility-to-state\/\" title=\"Gov. Greg Abbott: Texas Must Fight \u2018Federal Overreach\u2019; Biden Showing \u2018Extreme Hostility\u2019 To State\">crude oil<\/a> worth at least $300 million from Mexico with the assistance of Mexican cartels. The Jensens, who run Arroyo Terminals, a crude oil purchasing company in Texas, face charges of money laundering and conspiracy. Court documents reveal they allegedly conspired to smuggle nearly 2,900 oil shipments since May 2022, channeling payments to cartel-affiliated businesses.<\/p>\n<p>The arrests were part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >broader investigation targeting cartel activities<\/a>, with U.S. Marshals executing the raid after the couple initially resisted. While James and Kelly have pleaded not guilty,their sons,Maxwell and zachary Jensen,also implicated in the operation,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harvey-weinstein-secretly-indicted-on-rape-charges-by-la-grand-jury-extradition-hearing-monday\/\" title=\"Harvey Weinstein \u2018Secretly Indicted\u2019 On Rape Charges By LA Grand Jury, Extradition Hearing Monday\">face similar charges<\/a>. If convicted, each family member could face up to 20 years in prison, and their property, estimated at $300 million, may be forfeited. The case highlights increasing concerns about cartel influence in the region.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Utah oil tycoon couple, James Lael Jensen and Kelly Anne Jensen, have been arrested following a massive federal raid, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-trumps-impeachment-defense-team-collapses-ahead-of-senate-trial-top-lawyers-out\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Trump\u2019s Impeachment Defense Team Collapses Ahead Of Senate Trial, Top Lawyers Out\">multiple news reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The two are accused of smuggling oil from Mexico worth at least $300 million and working alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/cartel-leaders-hand-delivered-us-trump-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mexican cartels<\/a> to accomplish that, according to Salt Lake City&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ksltv.com\/local-news\/utah-couple-arrested-accused-of-smuggling-oil-from-mexico-worth-at-least-300-million\/767590\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC affiliate<\/a> KSL-TV.<\/p>\n<p>The couple, owners of Arroyo Terminals, a crude oil purchasing company in Rio Hondo, Texas, face charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fact-check-usaid-leftist-money-laundering-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">money laundering<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Arroyo Terminals all reportedly operated near the border.<\/p>\n<p>The arrests occurred April 23 at their $9.1 million mansion in Sandy, Utah, KSL reported.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>U.S. Marshals conducted the raid as part of a multi-state operation targeting the alleged smuggling scheme. The Jensens are accused of working with Mexican cartels to import crude oil illegally into the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Court documents reveal that the couple and two of their sons, Maxwell and Zachary Jensen, conspired to smuggle 2,881 shipments of crude oil since May 2022.<\/p>\n<p>The oil was &ldquo;directed to businesses in Mexico that operate only through the permission of Mexican criminal organization,&rdquo; KSL reported, citing detention documents from the U.S. District Court of Utah.&nbsp; The scheme allegedly funneled millions to the cartels.<\/p>\n<p>James and Kelly Jensen pleaded not guilty to the charges in federal court, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.valleycentral.com\/news\/local-news\/brothers-plead-not-guilty-in-arroyo-terminals-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to KVEO-TV.<\/p>\n<p>Maxwell and Zachary Jensen, also implicated in the scheme, pleaded not guilty in a separate hearing. The brothers face similar charges of money laundering and conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p>The federal indictment details a complex operation involving Arroyo Terminals, a company James Jensen founded.<\/p>\n<p>The business allegedly served as a front for the illicit oil imports, with payments directed to Mexican entities linked <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/texas-rancher-killed-cartel-shocking-act-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to cartels<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Jensens knew these payments supported criminal activities, according to the charges.<\/p>\n<p>The raid on Arroyo Terminals in Texas was part of a broader crackdown on cartel-related crimes. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tractor-supplys-dei-reversal-shows-citizen-activism-works\/\" title=\"Tractor Supply&#039;s DEI Reversal Shows Citizen Activism Works\">company&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s website was privatized following the operation, according to the KSL report, indicating a significant disruption to its operations.<\/p>\n<p>The raid on the home compound was a bit more harrowing, as KVEO noted.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">BREAKING: Utah oil tycoon James Jensen and wife Kelly arrested in a dramatic raid on their $9.2M mansion for allegedly smuggling $300M in oil from Mexico with cartel help. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bHPEahzFC6\">pic.twitter.com\/bHPEahzFC6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; TaraBull (@TaraBull808) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TaraBull808\/status\/1922067591037649269?\">May 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They were unwilling to come out,&rdquo; Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hess said during a hearing.<\/p>\n<p>That forced the hand of the Marshals Service, who had to break down the door.<\/p>\n<p>The family, meanwhile, claimed that James had agreed to open the door, but it was broken down anyway.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. authorities have linked the oil smuggling to the broader issue of cartel influence in the region.<\/p>\n<p>According to KVEO, James and Kelly have been released without a bond being set, after their attorneys emphasized their background.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They come from a stalwart Utah family,&rdquo; attorney John Huber, who represents James Jensen,&nbsp; said. &ldquo;His in-laws have served in public service for decades and they don&rsquo;t want to throw that all out of the window.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kelly Jensen&rsquo;s father, Gordon Walker, served in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development during President Ronald Reagan&rsquo;s administration. Her mother, Carlene Walker, served in the Utah State Senate,&rdquo; the news outlet reported.<\/p>\n<p>Maxwell is being held without bond due to his alleged close ties to the cartel activity, and Zachary&rsquo;s bond was set at $100,000 with a $10,000 cash deposit.<\/p>\n<p>If convicted of the alleged crimes, each family member could face up to 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;An estimated $300 million in property owned by the family involved is subject to forfeiture if they are convicted,&rdquo; KTVX-TV <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc4.com\/news\/wasatch-front\/utah-couple-smuggling-crude-oil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>. &ldquo;This includes business property, personal vehicles, and even a home located in Draper, Utah.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A couple from Utah, James Lael Jensen and Kelly Anne Jensen, have been arrested after a significant federal raid. They are accused of smuggling over $300 million worth of oil from Mexico and collaborating with Mexican cartels, as reported by KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. The Jensens own Arroyo Terminals, a crude oil purchasing company based in Rio Hondo, Texas, and face charges related to money laundering and conspiracy. The arrests took place on April 23 at their $9.1 million home in Sandy, Utah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2433885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/James-Jensen-and-Utah-mansion.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[55113,36508,55112,55110,55111],"class_list":["post-2433884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cartel-connections","tag-crime-news","tag-major-raid","tag-utah-tycoon","tag-wife-arrested"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/James-Jensen-and-Utah-mansion.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2433884"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2433888,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433884\/revisions\/2433888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2433885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2433884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2433884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2433884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}