Compton residents are accused of moving millions of dollars by depositing cash at ATMs and withdrawing money related to methamphetamine trafficking.
In the search warrant application, first reported by Seamus Hughes’ Court Watch, Ronny Beltran, Maria Munoz and the LLC called Zamudio Construction, were all tied to a 900 block of home on 152nd Street, West, as detailed in the affidavit of special IRS agent Ryan Bennett.
But Zamudio is not in the construction industry, Bennett wrote.
“The activities in the Zamudio account do not appear to be consistent with the operation of a legitimate construction company based on my training, experience and knowledge of this research, but they do seem to match the laundry of drug revenue,” Bennett said.
The activities include approximately $2.9 million in cash deposits in Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Virginia, Washington, Colorado and New York, and withdraw $1.4 million in cash from banks and ATMs in Southern California.
These withdrawals, primarily in Compton, Gardena and Inglewood, joined “substantiated Mexican bank accounts under the names of several Mexican entities” and “off-road vehicle dealers and associated aftermarket parts dealers” with a $1.4 million wire transfer.
“During January 2022 to August 2024, there were several incoming telegraph wire transfers that referenced construction or modifications, but referenced some transactions in the hardware store, which accounted for less than 3% of Zamudio account activity,” Bennett wrote.
As for the source of money, federal officials believe it came from the transport of methamphetamine, where Bertran was convicted in 2014.
It is also said that Bertrand and Munoz were caught with a large number of females during the period of these transactions.
“On June 22, 2023, officers at the Fontana Police Station seized about 30 pounds of methamphetamine from Bertrand and Munies’ vehicles and agreed to the search. [Compton address]officers seized 47 pounds of methamphetamine and two firearms,” the affidavit explains.
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