Fifteen Imperial Valley Arrests Have Ties to the Sinaloa Cartel
Sixty-six warrants for drug trafficking led to a number of arrests, including a surprising variety of residents in Imperial County.
This week the Imperial County Narcotics Task Force cracked down on high-level operators in Southern California drug trafficking as part of Operation Cerberus. Some of these individuals were Imperial Valley residents who were allegedly helping the Sinaloa cartel to move thousands of pounds of narcotics through the Valley and into the rest of the nation.
Orlando DeLeon
So far, the three-year operation has been responsible for netting more than 3,000 pounds of cocaine, 100 pounds of methamphetamine, 820 pounds of marijuana and more than $4.1 million in U.S. currency. In its latest efforts 24 people in Southern California were arrested this week. This included 15 who were booked into Imperial County jail on Wednesday.
According to the Imperial Valley Press, these arrests were made in multiple communities and were mostly individuals who kept a low profile. Neighbors were likely to never have guessed they lived next door to someone with ties to the cartel, which is exactly what drug traffickers want. While some were lifelong residents of the Valley, most of them came in from other parts of the state like Long Beach or Glendora.
Those who were arrested had played a number of alleged roles in the organization. They may have thought to be responsible for transporting drugs into the country, storing them or coordinating the movement of the narcotics. Others were arrested under suspicion of possession of drug money or conspiracy.
Joanna Rosalie Alvarez
The Imperial County District Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecuting these cases and anticipated charges would all warrant prison sentences. Bail ranged between $100,000 to $2 million, depending on the charges.
Operation Cerberus arrests include:
Flor Wuendolin Alcazar, 23, Maywood
Synboneth Guadalupe Alcazar, 22, Baldwin Park
Joanna Rosalie Alvarez, 26, La Habra
Wuendoly Johan Avila-Figueroa, 22, Long Beach
Ruben Barreto, 29, Glendora
Juan Chavez, 40, Huntington Park
Orlando DeLeon, 33, Calexico
Guadalupe Rodriguez Dorado, 22, Huntington Park
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IVPressonline: Suspects netted in Operation Cerberus
