Seventeen Defendants Charged in Drug Conspiracy and Money Laundering Case

March 18, 2010 - United States Attorney James L. Santelle announced today that seventeen (17) individuals have been charged in a criminal complaint with various drug-trafficking and money laundering offenses.

The defendants are identified as: Ruben Gaona (28), Asencion Gaona (30), Jaime Alarcon (30), David Villalobos (40), Sergio A. Garcia Dorantes (25), Faustino Jaramillo-Ugarte (24), Maria Jaramillo (28), Maria E. Alarcon (30), Delores Reyes Kennedy (46), Aracely Gaona (24), Maricela Gaona (27), Gricel Solis (26), Miriam Salas (29), Cynthia G. Reyes-DeReyes (28), Juan Reyes (26), Norma Bautista (26), and Soccorro Lopez (29).

On March 16, 2010, law enforcement officers from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Texas Department of Public Safety, El Paso, Texas Office, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Marshals Service, and the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety arrested sixteen of the seventeen defendants. Defendant Sergio Garcia Dorantes is still at large.

The complaint alleges that many of the defendants regularly transported multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and marijuana from El Paso, Texas, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The complaint alleges that to promote the drug conspiracy, particular defendants wired and transported the cash proceeds back to Texas.

According to United States Attorney James L. Santelle, “These charges are the result of an aggressive, multi-state, coordinated approach to eradicate drug trafficking organizations from the streets of Milwaukee down to – and across – the border. Anyone who assists these organizations, whether through selling or transporting drugs or laundering their money, will be held accountable.” United States Attorney Santelle specifically commended all of the participating agencies for their cooperation and hard work on this investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gail J. Hoffman. Many of the defendants, if convicted, face between 10 years and life imprisonment, a fine of up to $4,000,000 and 5 years to life on supervised release.

A criminal complaint is the formal method of charging an individual and does not constitute inference of his or her guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until such time, if ever, that the government establishes his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.