6 Modesto-area residents among those indicted in federal drug trafficking cases
Three Modesto residents, two Ceres residents and a Turlock resident are among the 17 defendants indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.
The federal grand jury returned two indictments against the 17 defendants.
“According to court documents, between April 2019 and June 2020, agents seized more than 140 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 500 grams of heroin, and $130,000 in cash,” the news release states.
The first indictment charges 12 of the defendants with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and more than 100 grams of heroin, according to the release.
In furtherance of this conspiracy, several defendant also are charged with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, the news release states. Each defendant is charged with using a cell phone as part of the conspiracy.
The defendants charged in this indictment are:
▪ Bakersfield resident Antonio Mendoza Ramos, 42
▪ Modesto resident Leopoldo Gonzalez Jr., 30
▪ Ceres resident Victor Manuel Velazquez, 34
▪ Sacramento resident Erasmo Zarate Solorzano, 42
▪ Las Vegas resident Estela Acevedo, 60
▪ Carlos Cano Manzo, 49, of Mexico
▪ Ceres resident Diana Cervantes, 26
▪ Des Moines, Iowa, resident Jose Genaro Vargas-Ramirez, 19
▪ Ontario resident Alma Adriana Mora Madrigal, 49
▪ El Monte resident Alejandro Mora Madrigal, 51
▪ Compton resident Fernando Cardenas, 47
▪ Modesto resident Humberto Pimentel Caranza, 27
The defendants charged in the second indictment are:
▪ Turlock resident Juan Zamora Torres, 59,
▪ Modesto resident Julio Mendoza Madrigal, 29
▪ Idaho resident Robert Lewis McCommas, 45
▪ Idaho resident Dorian Willes, 43
▪ Idaho resident Heather Romoser, 42
According to the news release, Torres is charged with several counts of distributing methamphetamine and heroin. Torres and Madrigal are charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Madrigal, McCommas, Willes, and Romoser are charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. The also are charged with using a cellphone to further a conspiracy.
The defendants face a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine if convicted. But the news release states the charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless they are found guilty.
The news release cites about three dozen state, local and federal agencies that were involved in these cases, including the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the California Highway Patrol and the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force.
The Modesto, Ceres and Turlock police departments as well as the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department were part of the investigation.
The prosecution of these defendants is part of an effort to “identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking organizations and transnational criminal organizations shipping narcotics, firearms, and money through the Eastern District of California,” according to the news release.
