Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. Many of these gang have long-standing ties to the Mexican Mafia. SAN DIEGO Federal authorities unsealed indictments Thursday against 85 alleged members of East San Diego County drug distribution and money laundering networks linked to the Sinaloa. The 19-count indictment charges a total of 19 defendants with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, an offense that carries a mandatory minimum 10-year prison sentence and a statutory maximum penalty of life imprisonment. 880 Front Street, Room 6293 Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Enter address: This website, like most media sites, uses small files called cookies to anonymously customize the advertising that you see. TTY: (619) 557-3450. As of today at 1 p.m., 17 of the 23 defendants are either in federal or state custody. Today we sent a message to drug traffickers in our community, U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer said. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. - A Jefferson City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm and methamphetamine to distribute. Toll Free (800) 544-1106 The charges, which were recently unsealed, include conspiracy to import and distribute heroin and methamphetamine. 952 & 960). DEFENDANT Case Number: 21CR1406-DMS, DEFENDANT Case Number: 21CR1407-DMS, DEFENDANTS Case Number: 21CR1408-DMS. The defendants are charged in two separate indictments with submitting fraudulent claims to California's Employment Development Department. 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Herrera, known by the Spanish moniker El Caimn, which translates to The Alligator, was arrested in Mexico in 2019 with his former beauty-queen girlfriend aboard a bus in the city of Quertaro. Grand Jury. To protect their illegal operations, the defendants used encrypted communications services to communicate with each other. The FBIs Inland Empire Safe Streets Task Force investigated this matter. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, San Diego County District Attorneys Office, Southern District of California The indictments allege that many of these gambling locations were taking in thousands of dollars a day. Espinoza lived in San Diego and also had a residence in Minnesota, which has been seized as part of the investigation. A lock ( Numerous crimes have been linked to the illegal gambling operations, said SDPD Chief David Nisleit. The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. A mugshot of Edgar El Caiman Herrera Pardo from his 2019 arrest in Mexico. Also arrested were alleged drug dealers who operated within the dens. This prosecution underscores that coordinated criminal activity will be met with a coordinated and focused law enforcement response by the U.S. Attorneys Office and our law enforcement partners at the federal, state, and local level. Whoops! San Diego County residents face federal charges in . It is common for employees to hand out small amounts of methamphetamine and comp customers to keep them playing and coming back for more, reads the warrant. Drug proceeds were returned to the networks leaders through a variety of means, including bulk cash, structured cash deposits into bank accounts and money transfers through apps like PayPal, Zelle, Venmo and Cash App, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. Maximum Penalties: For Possession with Intent to Distribute Charge: Forty years imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a $5 million fine. Matthew Brehm (619) 546-8983. natives documentary captures The Art of Grieving, Disneyland release new details about centennial celebration, City sewage spill closes San Diego Bay, other beaches, Orange County man shot by police pulled gun, Live: Larry Millete preliminary hearing continues, Motorcyclist killed in North County crash, Suspect shot, killed while reaching for shotgun:, Drivers press their luck in Mission Valley flooding, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. As of Thursday afternoon, 17 of the 23 defendants -- all identified as San Diego residents ranging in age from 23 to 60 -- were in federal or state custody, with a dozen of the defendants. 841(a)(1)). Both were arrested in April on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and are currently in federal custody. The U.S. Attorney's office Grossman announced charges Tuesday afternoon against 60 alleged local members of a San Diego-based methamphetamine ring accused of working for a distribution network. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Prosecutors say the defendants were part of a ring that smuggled thousands of pounds of meth from the cartel across the border, then distributed the drug to dozens of sub-distributors in San Diego County, across the United States and even Australia and New Zealand. Acting U.S. Attorney Grossman praised the coordinated federal and state team effort in the culmination of this investigation. 922(g)(1). Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a $10 million fine. Todays enforcement action is another example of why the Task Force was established to be a force multiplier and combine short term, street level enforcement activity with long term, sophisticated techniques to root out and prosecute the entire criminal enterprise., I would like to recognize the cooperation between all agencies who took part in this operation, said San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit. Authorities arrested a dozen of the defendants this week. We won't use your email for any other purpose, and you can opt out at any time via an unsubscribe link. 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The U.S. Attorneys Office said 38 defendants remain outstanding as of Thursday afternoon. Our team of experts has selected the best teeth whitening gel out of hundreds of options. The fourth alleged leader, Israel Alejandro Vazquez-Vazquez, is charged separately in a March 2021 indictment. Get FBI email alerts Those cases are pending prosecution in Mexico. San Diego, California 92101-8807, Telephone: (619) 557-5610 Federal Office Building Three men identified by authorities by first name only were arrested in Mexico in connection with the slayings about six weeks later. 952 and 960; Maximum Penalties: For the drug charges: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a $10 million fine. The war for Tijuana has grown into an intense three-way battle with the involvement of two remnant factions of the once-controlling Arellano Flix Organization one is aligned with the CJNG against Sinaloa and the other is hoping to subdue both major cartels. Maximum Penalties: For Distribution of Methamphetamine Charge: Forty years imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a $5 million fine. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substance, in violation of Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. (Courtesy of Mexico Attorney Generals Office), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, A 2023 San Diego bucket list of things to do for a more adventurous year, Interactive map of all homicides in San Diego County since 2010, Fat Leonard, set to finally be sentenced in long-running Navy bribery scheme, is on the lam, High-ranking cartel leader, cousin of drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, sentenced to time served. Gangs, drugs, and illegal firearms are infesting many of our neighborhoods and creating a violent culture that is unsafe for residents, said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman. 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