Four Los Angeles County men have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to run drug trafficking operations and distribute more than £2,000 in drugs and hundreds of thousands of counterfeit drugs, authorities say.
The man allegedly placed the drug in a safe home on Wilmington Avenue, Compton, said in a statement. Last month, federal agents seized 1,730 pounds of methamphetamine, 238 pounds of cocaine, 257 pounds of powdered fentanyl, and about 360,000 counterfeit fentanyl tablets from their homes.
Authorities also owned 13 firearms and seven vehicles.
Officials believe the man has earned around $1.6 million in drug revenue since 2023. To conceal activities from law enforcement, the man used Coded Language to communicate via FaceTime and Snapchat.
Court records show that when authorities said drug distribution operations had begun, the man allegedly sold $3,250 to customers at a Paramount restaurant. Next month’s drug sales amounted to $6,500, court records say.
The four men were arrested Wednesday. Authorities identified them as Jesse “Goldo” Lopez Martinez, 27, of Long Beach. Carlos “Rossy” Mendoza Jr., 32, of Compton. Hector Merced Para Jr., 25, of Southgate. Juan “Pancito” Francisco Felix Salazar, 28, Whittier.
Lopez-Martinez faces possession of three drugs with intention to be distributed. Parra and Salazar were each charged with one count for possessing a drug with the intended distribution.
Mendoza faces four counts. The two face one count of possession of a firearm that promotes drug trafficking crimes due to possession of a drug with intent to distribute, one count of being a felony possessing a firearm. He was previously convicted in Los Angeles in 2012 of a felony drug transport, authorities say.
Para and Salazar are released on bonds, while Lopez Martinez and Mendoza remain in custody. All four men pleaded not guilty.
According to the DEA, Mendoza reportedly stored and protected the medicine at his Compton residence, but Lopez Martinez is said to have arranged for delivery. Lopez Martinez and Mendoza are said to have transported the mez, and prosecutors say Salazar and Para helped Lopez Martinez supply fentanyl to its customers. Authorities allege that Para received fentanyl on commission from Salazar for further distribution.
“DEA shows zero resistance to drug offenders who continue to poison and destroy our community,” Matthew Allen, a special agent in charge of the LA Field Division, said in a statement. “We will find you, close your activities and ensure you face the full power of the law.”
According to the DEA, four men could face a mandatory minimum and maximum life sentence of 10 years, respectively, if convicted as a charge.
The investigation was conducted in collaboration with Vernon Police Station, Baldwin Park Police Station, and the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations.
The trial is scheduled to begin on July 21st.
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