Trafficker who survived assassinations, was linked to purest fentanyl in San Diego sentenced to prison

A dual U.S.-Mexican citizen who reportedly survived multiple assassination attempts more than a decade ago in Tijuana, and whom authorities said was responsible for importing into San Diego the most concentrated fentanyl ever tested in the region, was sentenced Friday in San Diego federal court to more than eight years in prison.

Aaron Leib Kobisher, 36, pleaded guilty in 2024 to a conspiracy charge involving the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine. He admitted in his plea agreement that he was involved in a drug-trafficking group based in San Diego and Tijuana that brought the drugs across the border and then distributed them as far as Atlanta and New York.

Spanish authorities arrested Kobisher, alias “El Kobi,” in June 2023 after he had boarded a flight in Madrid that was headed for Mexico City. He quickly waved extradition and within months was brought to San Diego to face charges.

U.S. District Judge James Simmons sentenced Kobisher on Friday to eight years and one month in prison, crediting him for his extensive cooperation with the government, in part by waiving extradition and quickly agreeing to plead guilty.

Kobisher told the judge during the hearing that his involvement in the drug trade had started small but spiraled out of control. He said he was tha...