Mocobizscene-Tuesday marked the culmination of an extensive statewide drug trafficking operation, which added up to twenty arrests, nine of which were from Southern California.
A federal investigation, designated Operation Dead Hand, focused on a purported drug pipeline operated by a transnational criminal organization that connected Mexico and Canada. The pipeline facilitated the distribution of hundreds of pounds of cocaine and other illicit substances across the United States.
Tuesday in Los Angeles witnessed the unsealing of two federal grand jury indictments that charged a total of nineteen defendants, nine of whom were natives of Southern California, with the alleged involvement of the organization. The indictments named suspect importers, distributors, truck drivers, and large-scale purchasers.
“Today is an example of society pushing back,” said Donald Alway, the Los Angeles Field Office Assistant Director of the FBI.
The ring, according to investigators, utilized Canadian dispatchers and handlers who traveled to Los Angeles from Canada to orchestrate the pickup and delivery of large shipments containing cocaine and methamphetamine. Subsequently, the contraband was carried onto semi-trucks and transported across the Detroit Windsor Tunnel, Buffalo Peace Bridge, and Blue Water Bridge from the United States to Canada.
Attorney Martin Estrada of the United States of America stated, “Sophisticated organized crime organizations prioritize profits over human lives; they are the driving force behind drug trafficking on a global scale.” “Driven by avarice, these perpetrators cause extensive damage to families and communities, destroying lives. However, this case demonstrates that we are committed to working in tandem with our global allies in order to apprehend these illicit networks. Those responsible for the trafficking of hazardous and highly addictive substances will face legal consequences.
The operation allegedly contained approximately 1,860 pounds of methamphetamine, 2,092 pounds of cocaine, 44 pounds of fentanyl, and nearly nine pounds of heroin, as stated in the indictments. The pharmaceuticals are valued at a wholesale level of approximately $28 million to $16 million. In addition, the police seized approximately $1 million in currency.
US Attorney’s Office: Robert Scoppa, whom authorities allege is a Canadian drug trafficker with “close ties to an Italian organized crime family” based in Montreal, was among those arrested.
Tuesday marked the release of the results of an investigation that spanned years during a news conference attended by representatives from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The international scope of the conspiracy, according to LAPD Chief Michel Moore, demonstrates that “organized crime knows no boundaries.”
Among those charged in the indictments include Southern California locals:
- Carlos Barragan, 51, of Long Beach,
- Correll Carbajal Garcia, 38, of Hemet,
- Esteban Sinhue Mercado, 24, of San Jacinto,
- Daniel Antonio Trejo Huerta, 43, of Riverside,
- Ignacio Lopez, 53, of Santa Ana,
- Orlando Velasco Jr., 29, of Stanton,
- Angel Larry Sandoval, 32, of Bell Gardens,
- Jorge Pina Nicols, 22, of Long Beach,
- and Bryan Ureta Valenzuela, 24, of Ontario.
All of the defendants are presently confronted with federal allegations, which consist of conspiracies to traffic in and extort drugs. Each of them faces potential federal prison terms ranging from forty years to life in the event of conviction.
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