State Agents Arrest 4 In Drug Cartel Investigation
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four suspected members of a Mexican drug cartel have been arrested and more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 9 pounds of cocaine and half a pound of heroin totaling nearly $6 million in street value have been seized in a San Bernardino County raid.
The monthlong investigation culminated late Tuesday, following an undercover operation targeting members of the La Familia Michoacana trafficking organization in Southern California, California Department of Justice spokeswoman Michelle Gregory said.
They allegedly imported meth from Mexico and distributed it to drug dealers in California and other states.
Agents arrested 37-year-old Juan Gabriel Angulo-Cabrera of Modesto, 40-year-old Ramiro Gil Guerra of Keyes, 35-year-old Jesus A. Cardena-Selem of Fontana and 32-year-old Sergio Mercado-Vasquez of Modesto.
They have been booked on suspicion of possessing meth for sale, transporting a controlled substance for sale, furnishing a controlled substance for sale and conspiracy.
The operation by the state Department of Justice-run Inland Crackdown Allied task force involved nearly a dozen local, state and federal agencies.
An undercover agent arranged to meet with Angulo-Cabrera on Tuesday night to have him deliver 30 pounds of meth. At the meet, Angulo-Cabrera allegedly delivered 10 pounds of meth. Based on that delivery, the agent wrote up a search warrant and served it on a residence on the 6000 block of Camelback Lane in Fontana.
At the house, agents seized 97 pounds of meth, the cocaine, heroin and $27,500 in U.S. currency.
They're each being held at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department West Valley Detention Center on $1.5 million bail.
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