LOS ANGELES – An arraignment is scheduled this afternoon for the final defendant arrested on a federal grand jury indictment that alleges a scheme to smuggle fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin from Mexico into the United States – narcotics that allegedly were packed into fire extinguishers and concealed in scrap metal loads.
The drug trafficking organization used semi-trucks to import fire extinguishers filled with drugs across the United States-Mexico border, according to court documents. During the two-year investigation, called Operation “Smoke Jumpers,” authorities made 13 seizures that yielded approximately 680,992 fentanyl pills, 3 kilograms of fentanyl powder, 17 kilograms of heroin, and 10,418 pills containing methamphetamine.
Nine defendants were arrested during law enforcement operations that began on February 8 and continued through Monday. One defendant was already in state custody. Seven additional defendants are fugitives believed to be in Mexico.
“These defendants used a sophisticated network to smuggle immense amounts of fentanyl into our country,” said United State Attorney Martin Estrada. “We know that every fentanyl pill can kill, but these defendants did not care about the widespread destruction they were causing. Our office will continue to work intelligently and aggressively to bring international drug-trafficking organizations to justice.”
“Law enforcement continues to meet the challenges presented by drug trafficking organizations whose members constantly find novel ways to hide the poison they’re importing from Mexico to U.S. towns and cities,” said Amir Ehsaei, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI and our partners on the Strike Force are seeking seven fugitives in this case and ask that anyone with information as to their whereabouts contact the FBI.”
The 15-count indictment unsealed on February 8 charges various defendants in drug trafficking counts and a money laundering conspiracy. The nine defendants who were arrested are: Oscar Ahumada Leyva, 43, of Mexico; Miguel Antonio Rabago Valenzuela, 42, of Mexico; Gustavo Rivero Rodriguez, 39, of Mexico; Carlos Espinoza, 38, of Alhambra; Erick Roque Angeles, 39, of Fontana; David Sanchez Balderas, 26, of Denver; Fernando Salgado, 36, of Riverside; Rocio Guadalupe Acevedo Tonche, 32, of Ontario; and Efren Quibrera Espinoza, 29, of Cudahy.
Six of the defendants were taken into custody in the Los Angeles and Inland Empire regions. Five of those defendants have been arraigned, entered not guilty pleas, and ordered to stand trial on April 2. Erick Roque Angeles is scheduled to be arraigned in United States District Court in Los Angeles later today. A tenth defendant – Toniel Baez-Duarte, 33, of Apple Valley – was already in state custody.
Related Federal Cases
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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