OAKLAND, California – In a major blow to the East Bay’s illicit drug trade, six East Bay residents and one Oregon resident pleaded guilty today to drug trafficking charges that led to the largest seizure of fentanyl in the Bay Area at that time, authorities announced.
The guilty pleas were accepted by the Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, United States District Judge. In connection with entering their guilty pleas, each defendant submitted to the court a written plea agreement.
Javier Castro Banegas-Medina, 41; Elmer Rosales-Montes, 29; and Jose Ivan Cruz-Caceres, 32, admitted to engaging in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl to numerous people who acted as re-distributors, selling the drugs to others. The defendants charged as re-distributors are Jihad Jad Tawasha, 35; William Joseph Laughren, 26; Heather Borges, 34; and Yeny Lizeth Fernandez-Reyes, 26.
Castro admitted in his plea agreement that in the spring of 2021 he led a drug trafficking organization. The organization was created to distribute large amounts of fentanyl in Oakland and San Leandro. Castro acknowledged that, as the leader of the organization, he conspired with others to distribute more than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of fentanyl.
The guilty pleas were associated with the defendants buying and selling fentanyl with the intent to re-distribute it. Yeny Lizeth Fernandez-Reyes admitted that she purchased fentanyl on multiple occasions with the intent to distribute it. For example, she admitted purchasing five ounces on April 21, 2021, and she admitted that a co-conspirator purchased 400 grams on May 10, 2021, of which at least 200 grams were hers for re-distribution.
Jihad Jad Tawasha admitted that on April 26, 2021, he drove to the Oakland residence and bought seven ounces of fentanyl, then drove to Modesto where he intended to distribute it. He was arrested three days later with multiple ounces of fentanyl.
Heather Rae Borges admitted that she bought fentanyl from the organization on multiple occasions, and that on May 6, 2021, in Oakland she bought 10 ounces of fentanyl which she intended to distribute. However, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on her car and seized the drugs.
William Joseph Laughren, Jr., admitted that on May 12, 2021, he bought 12.2 grams of fentanyl from the organization with intent to distribute it, but was arrested before he could do so.
Defendant Information:
– Defendant: Javier Castro Banegas-Medina
– Exact Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl
– City and State: Oakland, California
– Exact Date: Spring 2021
– Sentence or Outcome: To be determined
– Dollar Amounts: More than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of fentanyl
Related Federal Cases
- Victor Viera-Chirinos, Fentanyl Trafficking, California 2024 · Connecticut
- Miguel Obed Romero Reyes, Fentanyl Trafficking, California 2026 · California
- Abner Estrada Cruz, Fentanyl Trafficking, California 2024 · California
- California Man Sentenced to 23 Years for Meth and Fentanyl Trafficking · New York
- Jason Roon, Meth and Fentanyl Trafficking, Las Vegas NV, 2023 · California
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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