U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Twelve Members Of Drug Trafficking Organization Charged In Federal Indictment
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California
SAN FRANCISCO – Twelve defendants were indicted on narcotics trafficking charges, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum S. King. The indictment follows the arrest of several defendants on November 19, 2019, and the execution of search warrants at eleven locations, including ten residences in Sonoma County.
In addition to the arrests and execution of search warrants, law enforcement officials seized more than approximately 25 kilograms of methamphetamine over the course of the investigation.
Eleven of the 12 defendants named in the indictment originally were charged by complaint. According to the now-unsealed complaints, law enforcement agencies have been investigating the drug trafficking activities of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) headed by Eduardo Guzman, who was arrested on November 19, 2019. The complaints describe the controlled purchases of drugs from the conspirators by an undercover officer and an informant acting under law enforcement supervision and telephone communications intercepted pursuant to court orders. The complaints allege that law enforcement officials made seizures of drugs, including the seizure of approximately 11 ½ pounds of methamphetamine on October 15, 2019. According to the complaints, communications were intercepted revealing that customers ordered and received drugs from the DTO and sometimes complained about the quality and quantity of the drugs they had purchased.
The following defendants were charged in the indictment:
|
Defendant |
Age/Residence |
Charges |
Maximum Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|
|
EDUARDO GUZMAN TORRES, a/k/a “Miguel” a/k/a “Mikey” a/k/a “Michael” a/k/a “Ramon Guzman-Jimenez” a/k/a “Fortino” a/k/a “Ramon Jimenez” a/k/a “Fabian Cisneros” a/k/a “Hernan Torres Garcia” a/k/a “Potes” a/k/a “Alex” |
33 / Winton, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 2-4, 6-9, 11-13, 17, 21-23)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
JUAN DIEGO GALLEGOS-MOYA |
23 / Santa Rosa, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Counts 2-4, 6-7)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
ERNESTO OCHOA |
33 / Sacramento, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Counts 5, 14-15)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
ALFREDO TAPIA SANDOVAL, a/k/a “Fredi Tapia-Sandoval” a/k/a “Fredi” |
20 / Windsor, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 8-9, 11, 17)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
MARCOS ALVAREZ CORONA |
20 / Sacramento, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Counts 10, 16, 18-19)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
ANTONIO RAMIREZ-JIMENEZ |
36 / Santa Rosa, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 20)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
JUAN CARLOS GUZMAN, a/k/a “Jose Rosa-Perez” |
30 / Winton, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 21-22)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
ANGEL RINCON-MENETA |
27 / Winton, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of and Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Counts 21-23)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
MARIO LAST NAME UNKNOWN |
Unknown / Unknown |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 23)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
ADILENE RAMIREZ |
27 / Keyes, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 24)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
ERICA LAGUNAS |
36 / Stockton, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
|
Distribution of Controlled Substances (Count 24)
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) |
Not less than 5 years imprisonment and up to life
$5 million |
||
|
TERESA GUZMAN-RODRIGUEZ, a/k/a “Mono” a/k/a “Monos” |
38 / Winton, California |
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances (Count 1)
21 U.S.C. § 846 |
Not less than 10 years imprisonment and up to life
$10 million fine |
The indictment and complaints merely allege that crimes have been committed, and each defendant must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. These prosecutions are the result of investigations by the FBI in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, and Martinez Police Department. Additional assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, California Highway Patrol, California Counterdrug Task Force, Milpitas Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Offices of Marin, Contra Costa, and Merced Counties.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by member agencies of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Updated December 5, 2019
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