Hundreds of pounds of drugs seized in connection with drug trafficking ring; 3 arrested in L.A.
(U.S. Department of Justice)
LOS ANGELES - Thirteen people were arrested on Thursday -- three of them in Los Angeles, on charges of conspiracy to export hundreds of pounds of drugs from Mexico through Southern California and into Canada, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Authorities say a total of 30 individuals are being charged with several narcotics-related offenses including conspiracies to distribute, import, and export controlled substances such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
While the Department of Justice did not name the individuals arrested on Thursday, it said they "were members of related international drug trafficking organizations that worked together to traffic bulk quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin from Mexico to Canada through Southern California, including at locations in Costa Mesa, Compton, Ventura, and Redlands."
The drugs would be exchanged for either cash or bulk quantities of ecstasy, the Department of Justice said, crediting indictments unsealed on Thursday.
(U.S. Department of Justice)
The defendants allegedly used modified cellular devices with military-grade end-to-end encryption to communicate with each other regarding their drug trafficking business, including the transportation of narcotics between the United States and Canada.
The Department of Justice says these devices are manufactured primarily by Canadian companies that remove most functionality from the phones, leaving only an encrypted email system, court papers state.
In total, law enforcement seized approximately 944.7 pounds of cocaine, 19.8 pounds of heroin, 102.7 pounds of methamphetamine, and 106.1 pounds of MDMA. Authorities also seized approximately $811,000 in Canadian currency.
Those arrested face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if they're convicted of all charges.