Seven High Desert Residents Arrested by Members of Federal-State Task Force for Allegedly Selling Methamphetamine
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 19, 2013 |
RIVERSIDE, CA—An investigation by the High Desert Gang Impact Team this morning resulted in the arrest of seven defendants who face charges in federal and state court for distributing methamphetamine in the High Desert region.
The arrests this morning mark the culmination of a two-year investigation by the High Desert Gang Impact Team, which is made up of agents and deputies with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Task force members are continuing to search for two defendants who face federal charges.
A federal grand jury on November 27 returned five indictments in United States District Court that charge a total of six defendants. The federal indictments charge these defendants with distributing, and conspiring to distribute, methamphetamine.
The federal defendants, three of whom are expected to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in Riverside, are:
- Christian Alejandro Navarro, 29, of Hesperia
- Aldo Serna-Avila, 28, of Apple Valley
- Johnnie Zuniga, 37, of Apple Valley
- Candelario Vasquez, 49, of Apple Valley; who is in state custody on an unrelated charge
- Jessica Enriquez, 29, of Apple Valley, who is currently a fugitive
- Virginia Gomez, 46, of Apple Valley, who is also being sought by authorities
The federal defendants arrested today are expected to make their initial court appearances this afternoon in the United States District Court in Riverside. The six federal defendants, if convicted, each face a five-year mandatory minimum sentence and a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years.
Three defendants were charged by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office with state narcotics offenses. The three defendants facing state charges are:
- Sally Oporto, 35, of Apple Valley
- Nelly Rodriguez, 76, of Apple Valley
- Lucia Martinez, 46, of Victorville
An indictment or complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
FBI agents with the Victorville Resident Agency; sheriff’s deputies from the Victorville, Apple Valley, Hesperia, and Adelanto; and officers from the San Bernardino County Probation Department participated in the execution of arrest warrants this morning.