4 Alleged Drug Cartel Members Plead Not Guilty In $1M Meth Sting

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Four men pleaded not guilty Friday to selling more than $1 million worth of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer.

Jose Manuel Chaidez, 25, of Hawthorne, Jesus Manuel Landeros, 42, of Phoenix, Juan Martin Ramirez, 22, of Inglewood and Javier Martinez Sequeira, 43, of Hawthorne, are believed to be members of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, state Attorney General Kamala Harris said.

The defendants were arrested Wednesday during a sting operation in Corona, according to the California Attorney General's Office.

Undercover agents in the Inland Empire allegedly arranged to buy 25 pounds of meth, valued at $1.13 million, from the defendants outside a hotel. The suspects met an agent in the parking lot, where they were arrested and the meth was seized, prosecutors said.

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