Six more suspects are behind bars in a sprawling federal crackdown on a drug and firearms network rooted in Woodland, California. A federal grand jury unsealed five indictments this week against Daisy Gonzalez, 32, of Termo; Jose Trinidad Heredia Romero, a Mexican national; Asencion Jimenez, 38, of North Highlands; Stefanie Lavan, 65, of Woodland; John Lemus, 31, also of Woodland; and Carlos Martinez, 38, who faces the most serious charges, including possession of a firearm during a drug-trafficking offense.
Gonzalez and Heredia Romero are charged with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, the actual manufacture of marijuana, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Gonzalez is additionally charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Jimenez faces one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. Lavan is charged solely with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, while Lemus is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Carlos Martinez, however, is in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors: he’s charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense—a charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence and no parole. If convicted on all counts, the defendants face a battery of penalties: five to 40 years and up to a $5 million fine for marijuana manufacturing charges; 10 years to life and up to $10 million for methamphetamine distribution; up to 20 years and $1 million for cocaine possession; and up to five years and $250,000 for using a gun in drug crimes.
The arrests are the latest blow in a sweeping multi-agency investigation that erupted last week with coordinated raids across Northern California—stretching into multiple counties and even two additional states. The probe, led by the FBI, CDCR, Yolo County District Attorney, Woodland Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol, has exposed a tightly woven criminal enterprise trafficking drugs and smuggling firearms to fuel its operations.
Massive interagency support poured in from Colusa, Sacramento, West Sacramento, Davis, Yuba City, Yuba County, Sutter County, Solano County, Vacaville, CITF, ATF, ICE’s HSI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the DEA. The case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a federal initiative since 1982 designed to dismantle high-level drug and money laundering networks. It’s also prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a push to cripple gun and gang violence through aggressive federal charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Owen Roth and Justin L. Lee are leading the prosecution. The charges are only allegations—each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But the breadth of law enforcement firepower deployed signals a federal determination to tear down the infrastructure of organized crime in California’s Central Valley.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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