Jose Jesus Sanchez-Mendez, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Missouri 2022

A massive methamphetamine and heroin conspiracy in the Kansas City metropolitan area has been busted, with 39 defendants indicted in a $4.7 million scheme.

The indictment, returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on June 1, 2022, charges Mexican nationals Jose Jesus Sanchez-Mendez, also known as ‘Michoacano,’ 41, Jesus Morales-Garcia, also known as ‘Don Jesus,’ 43, Luis Eduardo Pineda-Zarao, 26, Juan Bernardo Galeana-Aguilar, 45, Baltazar Flores-Norzagaray, also known as ‘Sinaloa,’ 50, Rafael Perez-Esquivel, 51, Jose Eliazar Valle-Rivera, 39, Uziel Morales-Baltazar, 31, Erick Fernando Martinez Contreras, also known as ‘Alex,’ 34, Joel Enrique Roman, also known as ‘Pelon,’ 44, Miguel Angel Juarez-Lopez, also known as ‘Chapo,’ 47, Jonathan Zuniga-Villafuerte, 30, Sergio Armando Valencia-Ochoa, 36, Juan Humberto Lemus-Mejia, 24, Yuliana Del Carmen Perez Ciprian, 38, Trinidad Torres-Meza, 41, Miriam Veronica Bustos-Martinez, 37, and Liliana Valencia-Mendoza, 40, addresses unknown and all citizens of Mexico; Flor Gonzalez-Celestine, 52, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Mo.; and Jose Bernabe Zamora-Cardenas, also known as ‘Mufa,’ 52, a citizen of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Kan.

Along with the Mexican nationals, the indictment also charges Tina Marie Cruces, 36, Lisbet Espino, 24, Frank Anthony Valdivia, 43, Melissa A. Bates, 55, and Monica L. McCubbin, 39, all of Kansas City, Mo.; Santiago Raul Mendieta-Sanchez, 41, a citizen of Honduras residing in Kansas City, Mo., Jennifer S. Lawson, 35, of Buckner, Mo.; Felton Stone Jr., 45, Donald R. Moses, also known as ‘Moe,’ 51, Felipe Antonio Alcala, 30, Anthony C. Hughes, 37, Maria Nancy Valdez, 32, Ignacio Barragan-Vazquez, 32, Yvonne Guzman-Carpio, also known as ‘Morena,’ 39, Kongmhink Her, 41, addresses unknown; Marco Antonio Salazar, also known as ‘Tono,’ 29, and Nelson Alirio Garcia-Guerra, 28, both citizens of Guatemala, addresses unknown; and Arantxa Sabrina Valderrama-Barros, also known as ‘Sabri,’ 25, a citizen of Venezuela.

On June 8, 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led an operation that involved 140 officers and agents from 14 state, local and federal law enforcement agencies. The takedown resulted in the arrests of 31 defendants charged in the indictment as well as three additional felony state arrests. Three of the federal defendants were already in custody at the time of the takedown and five of the federal defendants remain fugitives from justice.

On the day of the takedown, officers executed 16 search warrants and seized 84.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, 4.5 kilograms of heroin, 10.4 kilograms of fentanyl, 7.6 kilograms of cocaine, 10.5 kilograms of marijuana, 687 Xanax pills, 3.1 kilograms of unknown pills, a quantity of bulk cash, five firearms, a 3D printer with manufactured ghost gun parts, and a liquid methamphetamine conversion lab.

The federal indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 335 kilograms of methamphetamine and 22 kilograms of heroin, resulting in a $4.7 million conspiracy.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott C. Evans and Angela V. Miller, with the assistance of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.

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