DOJ: 22 charged for role in drug trafficking organization linked to Beltran Leyva Cartel
EL CENTRO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Two dozen people are facing charges in Imperial County for their alleged participation in a transnational drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa-based Beltran Leyva Cartel, the Department of Justice reports.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California reports 22 people were indicted by a federal grand jury in Imperial County on Thursday for their role in allegedly importing and distributing more than a ton of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine into the United States, laundering the illicit proceeds, and attempting to export firearms from the United States into Mexico.
The Department of Justice reports over 150 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials in California, Arizona, Iowa, and Colorado Thursday morning arrested 10 people and executed six search warrants in Imperial County.
As of Thursday, the DOJ said search warrants remained active for 12 people.
The DOJ reports seizures throughout the entire investigation total to more than 1,000 kilograms (about 2,204 pounds) of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and over 750 kilograms (about 1,653 pounds) of fentanyl, 10 firearms, and more than $250,000 in narcotics proceeds.
According to search warrants, the defendants belonged to a Mexicali, Mexico, and Imperial County-based transnational criminal organization that operated as a distribution cell for the Beltran Leyva Cartel, specifically associated with Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka El Chapo Isidro.
The court reports undercover agents used wiretaps over the course of the investigation while conducing multiple controlled purchases, traffic stops of personal vehicles and tractor trailers, and searches of houses and stash locations leading to large seizures of narcotics.
During that time, an Imperial County-based narcotics subdistributor was shot multiple times during one of the wiretap operations in Mexicali and died months later, in what investigators believe was a setup to lure that person from the U.S. to Mexico in relation to drug trafficking and money laundering activities.
The indictment detailed several of the large drug busts that were made, including the seizure of 1.4 million fentanyl pills from a semi-truck shipment in January 2023, the seizure of 483,000 fentanyl pills from a semi-truck shipment in May 2023, and another seizure in May 2023 of 480,000 fentanyl pills, 72.29 kilograms of methamphetamine, and a loaded 9mm handgun with a 10-round magazine inserted and a round in the chamber.
In October 2023, investigators also seized 139,000 fentanyl pills and 36.66 kilograms (80.82 pounds) of methamphetamine after federal agents watched the unloading and transportation of the narcotics.
Then, in March 2024, 59.48 kilograms (131.13 pounds) of methamphetamine was seized during a traffic stop.
Federal agents also seized firearms and ammunition during the investigation, including two gold plated AR-15 semi-automatic rifles hidden inside a 55-gallon barbeque grill in August 2023, and two rifles, two pistols, 2,182 ammunition rounds, and seven magazines destined for Mexicali-based drug traffickers.
According to court records, five of the charged defendants are also tied to illegal smuggling activity.
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, and the prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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