LOS ANGELES –
A high-level member of a global drug ring arrived in Southern California Thursday night after being extradited from Colombia, according to officials.
He is facing charges that he conspired to transport cocaine worth hundreds of millions of dollars from South America to Mexico for eventual sale in the United States.
The extradition has led to arrests of co-conspirators on three continents.
In conjunction with the extradition, federal authorities on Thursday arrested seven defendants named in a 22-count indictment.
It outlines how the organization obtained ton-quantities of cocaine manufactured in South American labs; used airplanes, submarines and “go-fast” boats to move the narcotics to Mexico; and then used various means to smuggle the loads across the U.S.-Mexico border, with significant quantities of cocaine being delivered to and subsequently sold in the Los Angeles area, according to authorities.
In addition to the extradition of Victor Hugo Cuellar-Silva Thursday night and arrests of codefendants in California and Massachusetts, six other defendants are pending extradition after being previously taken into custody in Colombia and Thailand.
Cuellar-Silva is alleged to have been the organization’s top representative in Colombia, where he oversaw operations for Chavez-Gastelum, a Mexican national who has been designated by the U.S. government as one of the world’s most-wanted drug traffickers.
Chavez-Gastelum’s drug distribution network controlled its own supply routes from Colombia to Central America, and from Mexico to the United States. Chavez-Gastelum’s criminal organization was also responsible for at least two killings, with one victim’s torture and dismemberment captured on a video that has been obtained by law enforcement authorities.
To Look at a 2014 Sinaloa Drug Cartel Leadership Chart Click Here: U.S. Treasury Department
Authorities continue to work to secure the arrests of a number of fugitives, including Angel Humberto Chavez-Gastelum, the alleged ringleader of the international trafficking ring, who is believed to be in Mexico.
The indictment, which was unsealed Thursday. It is unique in charging high-level traffickers across the entire drug-distribution supply chain – from Colombia-based supply sources, to Mexico-based investors and transportation coordinators, to U.S.-based stash-house operators and distributors.
“This drug ring has spread death and misery across the Americas and to other parts of the world, which makes this case among the most significant drug trafficking cases ever brought in this district,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna.
During a three-year investigation into the organization, authorities around the world seized approximately 7,700 pounds of cocaine, with a potential U.S. street value of $500 million. Significant seizures during the investigation included:
· About 1,329 kilograms of cocaine recovered when a plane that departed from Venezuela crashed into the Caribbean Sea;
· About 833 kilograms of cocaine contained in bales floating off the coast of Tumaco, Colombia;
· More than 700 kilograms of cocaine and over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine seized from a Tijuana stash house;
· About 80 kilograms of cocaine seized during two operations in Azusa;
· About 50 kilograms of cocaine and one-half pound of methamphetamine seized in Montebello; and
· About 8 kilograms of cocaine, $125,000 in cash, and a firearm seized in North Hollywood.
“This organization is responsible for the manufacture and cross-continent distribution of exorbitant amounts of cocaine, a complex money laundering conspiracy, and a myriad of violent crimes to include murder,” said DEA Associate Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux.
Adding, “The indictment, arrests and extradition demonstrate the international reach of the Southern California Drug Task Force, and we will continue to work with our U.S. and international law enforcement partners to bring transnational criminal organizations to justice.”
Cuellar-Silva is expected to be arraigned on the indictment this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
During Thursday’s law enforcement operation, authorities arrested seven defendants named in the indictment. They are:
· Hugo Atienzo, 55, of Azusa;
· Juan Antonio Brizuela, 29, of Lompoc;
· Richard Dennis, 54, of Studio City;
· Gerardo Mojarro, 42, of South Gate;
· Jesus Manuel Monrreal, 33, of Van Nuys;
· Jonathan Zamora, 28, of Cerritos; and
· Amparo Yokasta Melo Peguero, 44, who was arrested in her hometown of Boston.
The six defendants arrested Thursday in Southern California were arraigned on the indictment Thursday afternoon, which each entering not guilty pleas. A trial date was scheduled for November 13.
Chavez-Gastelum, Cuellar-Silva, and three other defendants are charged with participating in a continuing criminal enterprise.
If they were to be convicted of just this charge, Chavez-Gastelum is facing life in prison. The other four w face up to 20 years in federal prison.
In addition to the continuing criminal enterprise and the related allegations of two murders, the indictment alleges a series of drug trafficking, firearms, and money laundering offenses.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.