{"id":55047,"date":"2023-12-15T13:48:14","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T21:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=55047"},"modified":"2023-12-15T13:48:14","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T21:48:14","slug":"four-men-charged-with-allegedly-running-drug-trafficking-ring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=55047","title":{"rendered":"Four Men Charged with Allegedly Running Drug Trafficking Ring"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Two Orange County men were arrested on a three-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they ran a transnational drug trafficking organization that exported wholesale amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine <\/span><\/p>\n

The drugs were concealed within commercial products such as instant noodle packets, car parts, emergency kits, and subwoofers in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand, the Justice Department announced today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hoang Xuan Le, 42, a.k.a. \u201cBig Bro,\u201d \u201cBlue,\u201d and \u201cKnockout,\u201d of Tustin, and Tri Cao Buinguyen, 38, a.k.a. \u201cBro\u201d and \u201cMango,\u201d of Garden Grove, were arrested Thursday. <\/span><\/p>\n

In total, four defendants\u2014including Trung Buinguyen, 40, of Lakewood, and Narongsak Champy, 28, of Long Beach\u2014have been charged with one count of conspiracy to export controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. <\/span><\/p>\n

Le and Tri Buinguyen are charged with one additional count of distribution of methamphetamine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Law enforcement is looking for Trung Buinguyen and Champy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"As part of this case, law enforcement seized a total of 755 kilograms (1,664 pounds) of methamphetamine and more than 100 kilograms of cocaine. Law enforcement estimates that the value of the drugs seized exceeds $65 million and ranges up to $160 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the indictment, from at least February 2017 to September 2022, Le and Tri Buinguyen communicated with members of the drug trafficking organization in Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. <\/span><\/p>\n

They then arranged for the export of bulk quantities of drugs from the United States to these nations via air cargo, ocean freight, and U.S. mail, concealing the drugs in a variety of commercial products and falsifying their true nature on the manifests and customs documents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"brownThe defendants allegedly used phones equipped with military-grade encryption software and encrypted messaging applications, particularly \u201cSignal,\u201d to coordinate the export of drugs from the United States. <\/span><\/p>\n

They allegedly used fictitious names, businesses, and email accounts to communicate with intermediaries, including vendors, freight forwarders, shipping companies, customs brokers, and customs officials in the United States and foreign countries, to fraudulently disguise the drugs as legitimate commercial products.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, officials stated that Le and Tri Buinguyen allegedly directed the summer 2018 shipment to Australia of 390 kilograms (860 pounds) of methamphetamine concealed in packets of instant noodles and mushroom seasoning, as well as the September 2018 export of 113 kilograms (249 pounds) of methamphetamine and 100 kilograms (over 220 pounds) of cocaine disguised as garlic seasoning. <\/span><\/p>\n

Additional shipments of drugs in October 2018, November 2019, February 2020, and August 2020 were allegedly concealed in emergency kits, car parts, subwoofers, and customized metal boxes.<\/span><\/p>\n

In June 2021, Le and Tri Buinguyen orchestrated a bulk shipment of 150 kilograms (over 330 pounds) of methamphetamine concealed in food storage buckets for export to Papua New Guinea, according to the indictment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, in August and September of 2022, Tri Buinguyen allegedly arranged for the export to New Zealand of 32 kilograms (more than 70 pounds) of methamphetamine concealed in meal-ready-to-eat packets.<\/span><\/p>\n

All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n

If convicted of all charges, each defendant faces up to life in federal prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this matter.\u00a0<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg E. Marmaro of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section is prosecuting this case.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LOS ANGELES Two Orange County men were arrested on a three-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they ran a transnational drug trafficking organization that exported wholesale amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nFour Men Charged with Allegedly Running Drug Trafficking Ring<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LOS ANGELES Two Orange County men were arrested on a three-count federal grand jury indictment alleging they ran a transnational drug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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