Drug cartel leader's operations included Triad, US says
TRIAD — A Mexican national and high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel was arrested Wednesday in Nogales, Arizona, after being indicted last fall on federal charges accusing him of helping lead a large drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy that operated in Guilford County and other parts of the region.
Emmanuel Martimiano Leon-Soto, 42, of Naco, Mexico, is the last person arrested of 38 total individuals charged in November 2024 by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of North Carolina with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine hydrochloride. He is one of 10 of the defendants also charged with conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the drug trafficking scheme.
Among those previously arrested were Crandall Ortais 'Turk' Ingram, 32, Anthony Okurtis Rashad 'Ant' Lloyd, 29, and Nikonda Taye 'Slatt' or 'Big Boy' Ingram, 31, all of High Point, and Michael William Curtis, 49, of Archdale.
The indictment specifically mentions Guilford County as a place that the drug ring operated but includes no other details other than the drugs involved, but among the law enforcement agencies listed in a U.S. Justice Department press release as cooperating are the Forsyth County Drug Task Force, Surry County Sheriff's Office, Davie County Sheriff's Office, Moore County Sheriff's Office, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Stanly County Sheriff's Office and Candor Police Department.
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Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Immigration raids continue, sparking more anxiety
Immigration raids continuted to spark anxiety and anger over the weekend across Southern California. Armed, masked ICE agents executed a raid Saturday afternoon at a swap meet in the city of Santa Fe Springs hours before a concert was to begin, witnesses said. The agents arrived at Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet around 3:30 p.m., according to eyewitness Howie Rezendez, who filmed armed agents hop off their vehicles and head into the venue. 'There were around 50 to 80,' Rezendez said. 'They had more than 30 cars and vans packed with agents, and three helicopters up there too.' A concert featuring musical acts like Los Cadetes De Linares, Los Dinamicos Del Norte and La Nueva Rebelión was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. But online footage from witnesses show a nearly vacant venue, a stark contrast to the large crowds the venue typically attracts. Rezendez said the agents left around 4:30 p.m. Omar Benjamin Zaldivar, who also recorded the agents, said ICE took 'a bunch of people.' 'If you looked Hispanic in any way, they just took you,' Zaldivar said. The number of people swept up from the raid remains unclear. Shortly after the raid, swap meet officials postponed the concert. 'Later we will provide details,' the Instagram post said. Swap meet officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The 17-acre outdoor hub first opened in 1965. Known as a hot spot for música Mexicana, the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet hosts an outdoor concert every weekend. Other popular Latino swap meets in Los Angeles appeared similarly vacant amid the ongoing ICE raids. The Whittier Swap Meet closed last week in preparation for possible raids. The Whittier Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The tensions were also felt at a major soccer game Saturday evening. Waving Mexican flags and signs criticizing President Trump, about 300 people overtook sidewalks in Inglewood on Saturday afternoon in the hours leading up to the soccer game between the Mexican and Dominican Republic national teams. Esmeralda Sanchez, who was not attending the game at SoFi Stadium, said she came to the rally to support family members and friends who are not in the country legally. 'We are the voice that our parents and the older generation couldn't be today,' Sanchez said over the sound of horns and cheers. The parking lot outside the stadium felt relatively subdued, with some fans making carne asada on portable grills and others waving Mexican flags. Emilio Estrada and Ashley Ruiz from Bakersfield posed for a photo in front of the lake by the stadium, saying their parents had been fretting about their visit to L.A. 'My mom kept calling me as we drove down,' Estrada said. Jesse Murillo of Orange County said attending the game to support the Mexican national team felt like a clear sign of protest against the federal government. 'We're not afraid to come out here and show our colors,' he said. 'No matter what, our people have always found a way to be here.' His friend Richard Barrera said many people were afraid because so much information, and misinformation, is ricocheting around social media. 'So many people are living in fear and that seems unfair, because you see so much online and then it turns out ICE isn't there,' Barrera said. Across the street from the stadium, Inglewood native Jorge Gomez said he had been nervous about attending any protests because of the immigration raids playing out across Southern California. 'I've been trying to be more wary, be more careful,' he said. 'I shouldn't be out here, but I am — because deep down inside is something that keeps telling me that this is wrong and I need to stand up.' Taqueros, fruteros and other street vendors are emptying the streets of Los Angeles amid widespread immigration sweeps, fearing their own arrest and deportation. But a Koreatown-based nonprofit recently launched a fundraiser to offset lost wages, donating to cover rent, utilities and other necessities — and allowing vendors to stay home. 'The reason they were out there, even though it's so dangerous to their safety right now,' is because the rent is so high and they have bills,' said Andreina Kniss, an organizer and longtime volunteer at Ktown for All. 'We got together and we said, 'Every day we can keep them off the streets is a day they're safer.'' Ktown for All is sourcing donations through Venmo, with account information posted to Instagram, then discreetly distributing them to dozens of street vendors to cover 30 days of rent and bills. According to Kniss, they've raised more than $50,000 in the last week. Since its founding in 2018, Ktown for All has focused most of its efforts on advocating for Koreatown's unhoused population and distributing resources such as water, blankets, laundry kits and prepared foods. In the course of feeding this demographic, members of Ktown for All built connections with the neighborhood's street vendors. In times of economic vendor hardship such as rainy seasons or emergencies like January's fires, the nonprofit launched a 'vendor buy-out' initiative to help sustain them. Donated funds 'buy out' food such as tamales and tacos from the vendors, then Ktown for All's volunteers distribute them to those in the nonprofit is approaching vendors in Koreatown and asking, 'What would it take to get you off the street?' Many vendors are simply being paid without supplying food.'We're street vendors,' one donation recipient told Ktown for All. Their name was withheld to maintain anonymity. 'We're afraid to go out, and all we want is to work for our families.' 'A lot of them are in hiding with no financial support right now,' said Kniss. 'It's really nauseating having to pick [between] paying your bills or being kidnapped.' For Kniss, the cause is personal. She was raised in a family of immigrants and farm workers on the Central Coast, and became a U.S. citizen herself five years ago. 'Having been one of those families that had lived in fear, seeing the way that our street vendors were living in terror, really struck my heart,' she said. The nonprofit plans to fundraise for the 'vendor buy-out' until ICE leaves Los Angeles or until the money runs out, and is regularly finding new street vendors to support through its network. The program's reach is already expanding beyond Koreatown, aiding a frutero in Echo Park, a hot dog seller in downtown and response from the community, Kniss said, is overwhelming. She hopes other mutual-aid organizations will 'copy' the method.'I thought the extreme 'fears' of having my family ripped apart from me as a little boy were just exaggerations,' another anonymous vendor wrote to Ktown for All. 'But now this administration [has] resurfaced those same fears and have terrorized the most genuine, kind and hard-working immigrants I've known for my entire life.'
Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Mexico overcomes slow start to defeat Dominican Republic 3-2 in CONCACAF Gold Cup opener
Associated Press INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Defending champion Mexico overcame a slow start to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-2 on Saturday night in the CONCACAF Gold Cup opener. West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez opened the scoring in the 44th minute, Fulham striker Raul Jimenez added a goal in the 47th and defender Cesar Montes got another one in the 53rd. Jiménez is third on the Mexican career scoring list with 40 goals, trailing only Jared Borgetti's 46 and Javier Hernandez's 52. 'It was a good win to start with. I congratulate my team, who maintained their emotional balance. It was a hard-fought, but fair victory," Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. 'Our rival did a lot of merit, they demanded us, they did a good job.' Costa Rica and Suriname, the other countries in Group A, play Sunday in San Diego. 'We were patient, we scored three goals and it was an attractive match for the fans, although there are things that need to be corrected,' Aguirre added. Peter Gonzalez scored in the 51st minute and Edison Ascona in the 67th for the Dominicans, who earned their first qualification as one of the four group winners in League B of the CONCACAF Nations League. The match at SoFi Stadium drew 54,309, most of them rooting for Mexico. There was uncertainty on how many Mexican fans would attend the match. On Friday, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum urged U.S. officials not to target individuals attending the game. Dozens of workers have been detained by federal immigration authorities in a series of raids in LA's fashion district and at Home Depot parking lots in Southern California. More than 100 people have been detained. Mexico can clinch a quarterfinal berth when it plays Suriname on Wednesday at Arlington, Texas, part of a doubleheader that includes the Dominican Republic facing Costa Rica. ___ AP soccer:
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: Sen. Padilla's removal from Noem event indicative of Trump's cynical policies
The slam down, handcuffing and forceful removal of Sen. Alex Padilla from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference on Thursday flows from the violence and unrest caused by President Donald Trump's policies to go after the undocumented immigrants where they work, shop and go to school. Immigrants are not criminals but hard-working people (often in jobs others would not consider) who pay taxes and contribute significantly to our economy. They have been allowed to stay in the United States, often for generations, because they are needed Both political parties have failed to pass legislation that would deal with immigration in an efficient and humane way. The most recent attempt, before the presidential election, would have passed but for the opposition of candidate Trump, who cynically sought to exploit the issue. I fear he is now exploiting the unrest he is causing to use it as a means to declare martial law and gain absolute power. Tom Miller, Oakland Deport the worst I am somewhat appalled by the media describing the disruptions in Los Angeles as mostly peaceful demonstrations protected by free speech, accompanied by pictures of burning cars, looting and attacks on police. If these people want to peacefully join our society, why are some of them waving Mexican and, in a few cases, BLM flags? If they intend to intimidate me, they should return to their own country, self-identified by the flag they are waving. Most of our forebears came here legally and peacefully, including, in my case, some from Mexico. I would be happy with a system that screens potential citizens, and excludes those who want to commit crimes or intimidate those around them. I approve of President Donald Trump's stated goal of deporting the worst first. We need to get rid of those who commit crimes. I would be happy to see new citizens, but not the thugs who intimidate us through their demonstrations. Peter Behr, San Anselmo Newsom is right Regarding 'Trump vs. Newsom an ugly skirmish that benefits both politicians' (Politics, June 10): The story suggests that President Donald Trump's search for dictatorial powers through intimidation, fear and escalating violence, and Gov Gavin Newsom calling this out is simply a tit-for-tat play for the attention of an uninformed public. It is becoming more obvious that Trump is trying to tear down the guardrails of civil society, trash the Constitution and eliminate all opposition. If Gov. Newsom did not express his strong, powerful and articulate opposition to this despicable behavior, he would not be doing his job. The Chronicle must not be afraid to illuminate the fact that Trump is a mortal danger to our democratic way of life. Kanda Alahan, Concord
