4 L.A. County men arrested for plotting to distribute 2,000 pounds of drugs, feds allege
Four Los Angeles County men have been arrested on suspicion of running a drug trafficking operation and conspiring to distribute more than 2,000 pounds of drugs and hundreds of thousands of counterfeit pills, according to authorities.
The men allegedly kept the drugs inside a safe house on Wilmington Avenue in Compton, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Los Angeles Field Division said in a statement. Last month, federal agents seized 1,730 pounds of methamphetamine, 238 pounds of cocaine, 257 pounds of powdered fentanyl and about 360,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills from the home.
Authorities also took possession of 13 firearms and seven vehicles.
Read more: One of the dark web's largest drug-dealing networks was run by four L.A. County men, feds allege
Authorities believe the men made about $1.6 million in drug proceeds since 2023. To hide their activities from law enforcement, the men used coded language to communicate via FaceTime and Snapchat, according to the DEA.
In May 2023, when authorities say the drug distribution operation began, the men allegedly made $3,250 selling meth to a customer at a restaurant in Paramount, according to court records. A drug sale the next month brought in $6,500, court records say.
The four men were arrested on Wednesday. Authorities identified them as Jesse 'Gordo' Lopez-Martinez, 27, of Long Beach; Carlos 'Losy' Mendoza Jr., 32, of Compton; Hector Merced Parra Jr., 25, of South Gate; and Juan 'Panchito' Francisco Felix Salazar, 28, of Whittier.
Read more: Authorities tout massive 50-pound fentanyl seizure in L.A.: 'Our biggest bust yet'
Lopez-Martinez faces three counts of possession of drugs with the intent to distribute. Parra and Salazar were each charged with one count for possession of drugs with the intent to distribute.
Mendoza faces four counts: two for possession of drugs with intent to distribute, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was previously convicted in L.A. in 2012 for felony drug transportation, authorities say.
Parra and Salazar have been released on bond, while Lopez-Martinez and Mendoza remain in custody. All four men have pleaded not guilty.
According to the DEA, Mendoza allegedly stored and safeguarded the drugs at the Compton residence while Lopez-Martinez allegedly arranged deliveries. Lopez-Martinez and Mendoza allegedly transported meth, and prosecutors say Salazar and Parra helped Lopez-Martinez supply fentanyl to customers. Parra also received fentanyl on consignment from Salazar for further distribution, authorities allege.
Read more: Hollywood woman convicted of running delivery service dubbed 'Uber, but for drugs'
'The DEA will show zero tolerance for drug criminals, who continue to poison and devastate our communities,' Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of the L.A. Field Division, said in a statement. 'We're going to find you, shut down your activities, and ensure you face the full force of the law.'
If convicted as charged, the four men could each face a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and a maximum life sentence, according to the DEA.
The investigation was conducted in collaboration with the Vernon Police Department, the Baldwin Park Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.
Trial is scheduled to begin on July 21.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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