Sixteen suspected members and associates of a San Gabriel Valley-based gang were arrested Wednesday on narcotics and other charges, federal authorities said.
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The suspects are among 20 defendants -- including one who was already in state custody and three of whom are still at large -- named in an indictment returned by a Los Angeles federal grand jury, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The indictment outlines various alleged offenses, including narcotics activity, kidnapping, shootings and illegal firearms sales.
The investigation into the La Puente-based gang, which authorities said is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia, involved the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Covina Police Department and others.
During the probe, authorities allegedly uncovered a series of criminal acts, including the December 2022 shooting of rival gangsters at a Covina residence in which one of the suspected shooters, Dominic Ornelas, 23, of Rancho Cucamonga, is said to have tripped and left behind his left shoe, which later helped law enforcement link him to the shooting.
Federal prosecutors contend that in July 2023, Adrian Lopez, 25, of La Puente, and Heather Covarrubias, 40, of Diamond Bar, plus others kidnapped two victims to retrieve items they believed had been stolen during a burglary at Lopez's residence earlier that month. One of the victims eventually was allowed to leave, but the other victim fled after being severely beaten, prosecutors said.
Another gang-related shooting occurred in May 2025 outside a La Puente liquor store in which Isaac Estrada-Frost, 21, of Rosemead, mistaking a victim for a member of a rival gang, yelled racial slurs at the victim and shot at the victim's car when the victim drove away from the scene, striking one of the car's doors, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Other criminal acts outlined in the affidavits include illegal sales of dozens of firearms, and the trafficking of pound quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl and carfentanil pills.
The defendants face a variety of charges, including distribution of methamphetamine, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a machine gun, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Initial court appearances were expected Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles federal court for nine defendants. The remaining seven are expected to make their initial appearances Thursday.
Authorities said that during the course of the investigation, they seized nearly 10 pounds of methamphetamine, thousands of pills containing fentanyl and carfentanil, fentanyl power, 71 firearms including 14 rifles, one machine-gun conversion device, four short-barreled rifles, three firearms with obliterated serial numbers, three pieces of body armor, thousands of rounds of ammunition and $9,500 in cash.
If convicted, nine of the defendants arrested Wednesday would face sentences of up to life in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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