San Diego authorities arrest 3 noncitizens allegedly involved in transporting more than $5M worth of meth
Federal and local authorities in San Diego arrested three men in the U.S. illegally – two from Mexico and one from El Salvador – after they allegedly transported nearly 8,000 pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $5 million earlier this week.
The incident took place on Monday around 7 p.m. during a joint narcotics investigation in the South Bay region, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday evening.
SDCSO detectives and U.S. Border Patrol agents observed three vehicles they believed were being loaded with bundles of drugs. A federal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of California said the vehicles were being loaded in a parking lot on Otay Mesa Road.
Cbp Officers Seize Over $14M Of Alleged Methamphetamine At Southern Border
Two of those vehicles were driven toward a motel in San Ysidro, while the third vehicle went to a motel in Chula Vista, the sheriff's office said. All three drivers were ultimately arrested.
They were identified by the Justice Department as 27-year-old Erick Omar Arriola, of El Salvador, and Mexican nationals Eugenio Lizama, 35, and Baltazar Rodriguez Reyes, 49.
Read On The Fox News App
Arriola is a felon convicted of driving under the influence, battery of a spouse and false imprisonment, the DOJ said.
'Zombie Drug' Smuggled Across Southern Border A Growing Threat To Americans, Doctor Warns
When authorities searched their vehicles, they found a total of 61 bundles of methamphetamine, weighing more than 7,700 pounds and valued at around $5.5 million.
"It was one of the biggest seizures of methamphetamine in 2025 in the Southern District of California, and the most significant so far by the new Homeland Security Task Force San Diego, which was recently established by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security at the request of President Trump," the DOJ said.
All three men were booked into the San Diego Central Jail and face charges related to conspiracy, transportation and possession of controlled substances for sales.Original article source: San Diego authorities arrest 3 noncitizens allegedly involved in transporting more than $5M worth of meth
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Friday's Mini-Report, 6.6.25
Today's edition of quick hits. * I guess returning Kilmar Abrego Garcia to U.S. soil wasn't impossible after all: 'Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S. to face federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee, the Justice Department said Friday, in a case that became emblematic of the combined coarseness and incompetence behind the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.' * In this 6-3 ruling, all of the Republican-appointed justices sided with the White House: 'A divided Supreme Court on June 6 said Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency can access to the data of millions of Americans kept by the U.S. Social Security Administration. The court paused a judge's order blocking DOGE from getting the data, which includes Social Security numbers, medical and mental health information, tax return information and citizenship records.' * Harvard's winning streak continues, but the White House's relentless offensive is ongoing: 'A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's efforts to block visas for foreign students planning to attend Harvard, after the Ivy League college filed a legal challenge.' * No one benefits from misguided steps like these: 'More than $12 million worth of contraceptives and HIV-prevention medications purchased by the U.S. government as aid for developing countries under programs thathavesince been discontinued will probably be destroyedunless officials sell or otherwise off-load them, an examination by The Washington Post found.' * The White House vs. the ICC: 'The Trump administration is slapping sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court over the tribunal's investigation into alleged war crimes by Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza and in the West Bank.' * It's not a great sign when no one seems to know who's leading the CDC: 'The CDC, a $9.2 billion-a-year agency tasked with reviewing life-saving vaccines, monitoring diseases and watching for budding threats to Americans' health, is without a clear leader.' * This effort fell short, but it was interesting to see Republicans scramble: 'House Oversight Committee Democrats have once again failed to subpoena Elon Musk to testify on Capitol Hill. The panel rejected the minority party's request Thursday morning for the former DOGE chief to appear before lawmakers in a party-line, 21-20 votes.' * Should we assume that a generous settlement in this civil suit is inevitable? 'Five members of the Proud Boys, once convicted of masterminding the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, are accusing the federal government and FBI employees of violating their rights in connection with their prosecutions in a new lawsuit. ... The suit seeks $100 million in punitive damages.' * A New Jersey health official's recent inspection at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster did not go well: 'For more than three hours, the inspector tallied enough violations — a faulty dishwasher, poorly stocked sinks, improperly stored raw meat — to give the club a score of 32 out of 100, one of the lowest ratings earned by any establishment in Somerset County this year.' * Noted without comment: 'For sale at the White House: one bright red Tesla Model S. Should run fine; the owner just seems to have had buyer's remorse. Less than 24 hours after President Trump and Elon Musk engaged in a rancorous public spat, Mr. Trump has decided to sell the red Tesla he got in March, according to a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to speak publicly.' Have a safe weekend. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
8 Mass. residents accused of stealing tax refund checks totaling more than $8.8M, US Attorney says
Eight Massachusetts residents have been charged in the theft of U.S. Treasury tax refund checks totaling more than $8.8 million in 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Attorney said Friday. Six of the residents were arrested Friday. Two remain at large, authorities said. Each of the U.S. Treasury checks that were stolen represented a tax refund or tax credit due to a taxpayer, but were altered to be payable to shell companies controlled by the residents, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. Each resident allegedly deposited one or more fraudulent checks at banks or credit unions in and around metro Boston, Foley said. Foley said the following people are charged in separate indictments: Gurprit Singh, 34, of Framingham, charged with theft of $2,547,508 in government funds; Eric Banks, 70, of Quincy, charged with theft of $1,173,482 in government funds; Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, of Leominster, charged with theft of $1,355,863 in government funds; Domingo Villari, 49, of Framingham, charged with theft of $1,288,575 in government funds; Nnamdi Opara, 30, of Woburn, charged with theft of $700,767 in government funds; Gino Rosario Tyler Alexander Allegra, 31, of Brockton, charged with theft of $861,646 in government funds; Amarpreet Singh, 33, of Framingham, charged with theft of $536,214 in government funds; Lonnie Smith-Matthews, 33, of Hyde Park, charged with theft of $150,000 in government funds and bank fraud of $232,588. Gurprit Singh, Banks, El-Ghoul, Opara, Smith-Matthews and Villari are in federal custody and were scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday. Allegra and Amarpreet Singh remain at large, Foley said. 'As alleged, these defendants stole millions in tax refunds owed to hardworking Americans and used Massachusetts businesses and community banks to defraud the U.S. Treasury,' Foley said. 'Would-be thieves should understand that taking government money is not a victimless crime. If you cash or deposit a refund check that you know is not yours, you will be prosecuted,' Foley said. 'This office and its law enforcement partners are committed to rooting out fraud and abuse in the federal tax system.' Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office, said Friday's arrests demonstrate his agency's 'commitment to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting all instances of Treasury check theft.' 'The theft and altering of Treasury checks is a growing issue that impacts all Americans,' Demeo said. 'IRS-CI will continue to work diligently to bring all those who prey on American taxpayers to justice.' For the charge of theft of government funds, each defendant faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. For the charge of bank fraud, Smith-Matthews faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
2 face federal charges in stalking, harassment of L.A. artist critical of Chinese President Xi
Two foreign nationals are accused of stalking a Los Angeles artist who is a critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the U.K. and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, were charged with interstate stalking, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, smuggling and violating the Arms Export Control Act,' the Los Angeles Times reports, citing information from the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ said in a news release that the charges of smuggling out military weaponry come from Milwaukee, but the stalking charges relate to an unnamed artist who planned to protest a 2023 appearance by Xi at an economic summit and who made 'artistic statues of President Xi and his wife' to be unveiled this year, prosecutors said. In both instances, Cui and Miller hired a pair of others to do the actual work, prosecutors said, including orders to 'surveil the victim, to install a tracking device on the victim's car, to slash the tires on the victim's car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the victim depicting President Xi and President Xi's wife.' A different pair of people was utilized in 2025 to try to dissuade the artist from showing new statues online, the DOJ said. Unfortunately for Cui and Miller, all four of those people they hired for assistance in Southern California were 'affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI,' the DOJ explained. In the release, several high-ranking federal officials expressed their support for protecting free-speech rights of U.S. residents against foreign interference, as well as protecting sensitive technology used by the American military. 'This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values,' said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. 'This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems. We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge.' If convicted, Cui and Miller could face decades in federal prison. Maximum sentences are as follows: Five years for conspiracy Five years for interstate stalking 20 years for violating the Arms Export Control Act 10 years for smuggling Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
