RIVERSIDE, California – Three Inland Empire residents have been indicted for distributing nearly 26,000 pills containing carfentanil, a potent substance used to sedate elephants.
Alejandra Romero-Agredano, 49, of Fontana; Jorge Martin, 27, also of Fontana; and Jose Jesus Camacho-Martinez, 32, of Downey, allegedly coordinated and participated in a local drug-trafficking organization that sold the deadly pills to undercover agents over a four-month period.
The indictment alleges that Romero-Agredano, working with Camacho-Martinez and Martin, delivered three separate shipments containing thousands of carfentanil pills to undercover DEA agents in the Inland Empire.
Carfentanil is many times more potent than fentanyl and heroin, making it a highly deadly substance. If ingested, it can cause respiratory failure and death.
The defendants were arrested on September 7 and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. Romero-Agredano faces additional charges for distributing carfentanil.
Each defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Fontana Police Department and the Ontario Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jerry C. Yang is prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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