LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office announced Tuesday it had arrested seven people in connection with an alleged drug trafficking organization operating out of the Harbor Area of Los Angeles. Six others are still being sought out by authorities.
The 13 defendants were named in four separate indictments outlining charges of illegal drug transactions. Those arrested Tuesday included Adrian Abasolo, 26, of San Diego; Alejandro Mendoza, 45, of L.A.; Hector Valentin, 28, of Long Beach; Rodolfo Ulyses, 61, of Arizona; Juan Antonio Aguilar-Bravo, 45, of Calexico; Gabriela Contreras, 42, of Gardena; and Marisela Sanchez, 43, of Wilmington.
All seven made their initial court appearances in federal court in Downtown L.A. on Tuesday.
The other six defendants charged in the indictment and still wanted by police include Hector Yair Sanchez, 25, of Pomona; Christian Garcia, 29, of Long Beach; Jorge Luis Perez Sandoval, 36, of Victorville; Luis Fernando Verdugo, 25, of Pacoima; Alexander Guerrero, 42, of L.A.; and Oscar Humberto Gallegos, 35, of San Diego.
An investigation into the alleged ring by the LAPD’s Harbor Division and the L.A. Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force began last year. Undercover officers conducted dozens of operations between April and July 2021 that identified the suspects.
Police recovered 250 pounds of methamphetamine and one pound of fentanyl during that period, along with several firearms.
Defendants face between five years and life in federal prison if convicted.
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