17 arrested in alleged scheme to smuggle drugs including fentanyl

Federal authorities say they have broken up an alleged scheme to smuggle drugs, including fentanyl, from Mexico to the United States by hiding the illegal drugs inside fire extinguishers.

A total of 17 defendants have been charged under a federal grand jury indictment, as part of a two-year investigation dubbed Operation “Smoke Jumpers.” During the investigation, authorities seized roughly 3 kilograms of fentanyl powder and 680,992 pills containing fentanyl, among other drugs, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

The final defendant was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon, officials said

One defendant was already in state custody and an additional nine defendants were arrested between Feb. 8 through Monday on various charges including drug trafficking counts and a money laundering conspiracy, authorities said. The defendants include; Carlos Espinoza, 38, from Alhambra; Erick Roque Angeles, 39, from Fontana; Fernando Salgado, 36, from Riverside; Rocio Guadalupe Acevedo Tonche, 32, from Ontario; and Efren Quibrera Espinoza, 29, from Cudahy.

One defendant, David Sanchez Balderas, 26, was based in Denver, and three other defendants, Oscar Ahumada Leyva, 43, Miguel Antonio Rabago Valenzuela, 42, and Gustavo Rivero Rodriguez, 39, are from Mexico.

According to court documents, semi-trucks were reportedly used to import fire extinguishers filled with drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border. Carin Trucking, a San Diegobased trucking company, was owned by 43-year-old defendant Leyva and operated at least six semitrucks that allegedly delivered narcotics to the Los Angeles area from Mexico.

The drugs were hidden in fire extinguishers initially disguised as scrap metal and later in fire extinguishers that appeared legitimate, a search warrant filed Monday showed.

Angeles is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday afternoon. Five of the nine defendants have plead not guilty and are scheduled to stand trial on April 2. An additional seven defendants are currently fugitives believe to be in Mexico, the California Department of Justice said in a press release.

The grand jury indictment alleges 12 offenses for drug possession and two narcotics conspiracies, each carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, along with a money laundering conspiracy count, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.