A Hawaiian Gardens resident is among 30 alleged members of two drug trafficking organizations indicted on federal charges connected to importing cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States, a Department of Justice spokesman in L.A. announced Wednesday.
The indictment unsealed Aug. 21 lists defendants including:
- Victor Manuel Munoz, 30, of Hawaiian Gardens, who allegedly assisted by storing smuggled drugs in his residence, arrested Wednesday morning.
- Mayra Alejandra Sandoval, 23, of Long Beach, who allegedly assisted a drug transporter, arrested Wednesday morning.
Other defendants in the case are from Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Mira Loma, Long Beach and Mexico. Seven defendants named in the indictment have been arrested.
"The indictment is the result of a 20-month investigation involving federal wiretaps and conducted under the auspices of the Southern California Drug Task Force/High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force," Justice Department spokesman Thom Mrozek said in a statement.
"The investigation, which was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration, was called Operation 'Mountain Top' and charges many of the defendants in conspiracies to distribute narcotics and to import drugs from Mexico," Mrozek said.
"During the course of Operation Mountain Top, authorities seized approximately 92 pounds of methamphetamine and 50 kilograms of cocaine," Mrozek said.
Agencies that assisted in Wednesday's arrests included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Torrance Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department.
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