Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, Human Smuggling, Arizona 2023

Defendants Indicted in Tucson on Charges of Human Smuggling and Drug Trafficking

TUCSON, Ariz. – On November 29, 2023, a federal grand jury in Tucson returned an 11-count indictment against Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, and Jesus Armando Gonzalez-Villela, citizens of Mexico, for Conspiracy to Transport Aliens; Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments; Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine; Distribution of Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine; and Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

The indictment alleges that defendants Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, also known as Soldado, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, also known as Peque, and Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, also known as Catorce, are members of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), operating in the Santa Cruz and Mascarenas areas of Mexico, with the permission of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The indictment alleges that these defendants operated a human smuggling organization as part of the Malas Manas TCO, trafficked drugs, and laundered the proceeds of both criminal activities. More specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning at an unknown time but including December 2020 and continuing through November 12, 2021, defendants Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, Bernal, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to transport aliens within the United States as part of the Malas Manas Transnational Criminal Organization.

The indictment alleges that between January 2019 and August 2023, defendants Roman-Figueroa, Roman-Flores, and Salazar-Ballesteros conspired to launder the profits of alien smuggling and drug smuggling through the movement of monetary instruments from the United States to the Republic of Mexico.

The indictment further alleges that from 2019 until 2023 Roman-Figueroa, Bernal, Salazar-Ballesteros, and Gonzalez-Villela conspired to distribute and did distribute various quantities of fentanyl, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Finally, the indictment alleges that Bernal brandished a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime involving methamphetamine on February 3, 2021. The most serious of these crimes carries a minimum mandatory term of 10 years and up to a maximum term of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “These actions are the latest in a long line of the Justice Department’s efforts to dismantle, piece-by-piece, violent cartels like Malasa Manas and Sinaloa. We will continue to target and prosecute the leaders and associates of the criminal groups responsible for poisoning the American people with fentanyl and endangering vulnerable migrants for profit.”

“An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,” noted the press release.

The indictment is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the DEA.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys. If convicted, the defendants face significant prison time and fines.

Defendant information: Jorge Damian Roman-Figueroa, Luis Eduardo Roman-Flores, Manuel Jose Bernal, Joel Salazar-Ballesteros, and Jesus Armando Gonzalez-Villela, all citizens of Mexico.

Criminal charges: Conspiracy to Transport Aliens, Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments, Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine, Distribution of Marijuana, Methamphetamine, Fentanyl, and Cocaine, Brandishing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

City and state: Tucson, Arizona.

Exact date: November 29, 2023.

Sentence or outcome: The defendants are currently in custody pending further proceedings.

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