SAN DIEGO
Federal authorities announced last week the results of a coordinated operation conducted over the last three months that resulted in hundreds of kilograms of dangerous narcotics being taken off the streets of Southern California.
State and federal law enforcement agencies worked together to plan and execute this operation, which culminated in a one-week coordinated surge in mid-September.
The arrests and drug busts resulted in the seizure of approximately 778 kilograms of methamphetamine, 268 kilograms of cocaine, 30 kilograms of fentanyl, 31 kilograms of heroin, and $281,000 in U.S. currency, officials stated.
In addition to the substantial seizures, six individuals were arrested and charged with various federal drug trafficking offenses in Los Angeles, and numerous additional individuals were charged with federal drug trafficking offenses in San Diego.
“This operation underscores our significant – and successful – efforts to disrupt the smuggling routes used by international drug cartels to deliver narcotics to the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna. “This concerted effort allowed us to identify shipments coming in from Mexico and being delivered to stash houses across the region. As a result of the excellent work of law enforcement agents, we were able to make substantial seizures and arrest individuals who played important roles in the distribution chain.”
As a result of this operation, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed two cases that charge six defendants.
In one case, a federal grand jury late this afternoon indicted three defendants, including an alleged drug courier who is accused of driving a car from Tijuana into the United States with 21.8 kilograms of pure methamphetamine hidden in his car doors and quarter panels.
The courier drove the vehicle to Compton, where he turned it over to another man, who unloaded the drugs into the trailer where he lived, according to court documents.
The indictment charges the defendants – one of whom is currently known only by the moniker “Gringo” – with several offenses, including importation of methamphetamine.
If convicted, the defendants in this case would face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in federal prison.
In the second Los Angeles case resulting from this operation, a federal grand jury late last month indicted four defendants, two of whom allegedly drove a vehicle with a hidden compartment containing approximately 14.5 kilograms of methamphetamine into the United States, eventually bringing their load to a La Puente auto repair shop.
At the shop, two other men helped them unload the narcotics.
The owner of the shop, Juan Pablo Castro Velazquez, and the three other defendants face narcotics trafficking charges that carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
DOJ NOTED:
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay M. Bailey of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.