More than 250 law enforcement officers stormed the streets of San Bernardino this morning, arresting 24 members and associates of the Westside Verdugo street gang in a sweeping federal crackdown targeting a years-long drug operation that reached deep inside county jails. The arrests stem from eight federal indictments unsealed today, one of which details a chilling tactic: gang members deliberately getting arrested to smuggle narcotics and syringes hidden in their body cavities into custody facilities.
Among the 35 defendants named in the indictments, 24 were taken into custody this morning, while 10 are already in state custody and will be transferred to federal court. At the center of three separate narcotics-trafficking conspiracies is Carlos Antonio Aznaran, 24, of Rialto. Prosecutors allege that from at least July 2017 to April 2019, Aznaran and his co-defendants ran a well-organized network distributing methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana both inside the San Bernardino County jail system and on the streets of the city.
One indictment accuses Aznaran and his wife, Elisa Montes, 28, of Palm Desert, of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine within San Bernardino. Another charges Aznaran with heroin distribution across the county, along with possession of firearms and ammunition in furtherance of drug crimes. Five additional indictments focus on individual gang members charged as felons in possession of weapons, underscoring the violent undercurrent of the organization.
The most brazen allegations involve orchestrated arrests to infiltrate the jail with drugs. On July 2, 2017, Aznaran and others allegedly planned for gang member Trevor Harris, 28 of San Bernardino, also known as “Eminem” and “Vice,” to get arrested on purpose. A week later, Harris was booked into the Central Detention Center on vehicle tampering charges. A search revealed 43.33 grams of methamphetamine, 49.7 grams of heroin, five syringes, and 20 packets of Suboxone concealed in his anal cavity—each marked with monikers to identify recipients behind bars.
Another scheme unfolded on September 24, 2017, when Ernest Madrid, 48, of San Bernardino, reportedly told an associate he was “trying to get busted right now” to deliver drugs inside custody. Later that day, Madrid was arrested on a probation violation. At the jail, authorities seized 78.2 grams of methamphetamine, 12.12 grams of heroin, and five syringes from his body. Investigators also found two phone numbers—allegedly used by Aznaran—written in marker on Madrid’s legs.
“For more than 50 years, this gang has been responsible for spreading drugs and violence in this community, but today we have taken a major step to combat the group’s influence,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director in Charge Paul Delacourt added, “The arrests announced today are the latest example of that partnership and of our commitment to targeting the most violent of these gangs, such as the Westside Verdugo, whose members traffic in addiction and fear.”
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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