Six Arrested in El Paso on Federal Drug Trafficking Charges

Arrests Stem from Two Federal Grand Jury Indictments

United States Attorney John E. Murphy, FBI Special Agent in Charge David Cuthbertson, and DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph A. Arabit announced the arrests of six individuals based on two federal grand jury indictments in connection with two major drug trafficking operations in the El Paso/Juarez corridor.

Those arrested on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, include: 21-year-old Abraham Melendez, of El Paso; 27-year-old Miguel Humberto Lerma, of El Paso; 35-year-old Ruben Salcedo, of San Elizario, Texas; and 27-year-old Jorge Magdaleno, of El Paso. Two defendants were taken into custody on Tuesday, February 8, 2011: 31-year-old Alejandro Melendez, owner of Budget Auto Center in El Paso, and 37-year-old Juan Justino Barragan Purata, of El Paso.

Nunez Operation

A second superseding indictment, returned on February 1, 2011, and unsealed today charges 36-year-old Adrian Nunez, of El Paso; Barragan Purata; Abraham Melendez; Alejandro Melendez; and 30-year-old Carlos Armando Bernal-Quintero, of El Paso, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired together to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine throughout the El Paso area. Bernal-Quintero remains a fugitive. Nunez is currently out on a $20,000 bond after having been arrested in August 2010.

The Nunez investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was conducted by the El Paso Strike Force. The Strike Force is comprised of FBI and DEA agents. Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; Texas Department of Public Safety; El Paso County Sheriff’s Office; and the El Paso Police Department also assisted in this investigation.

"The FBI will continue to work in collaboration with our valued law enforcement partners to investigate and seek prosecution of those individuals who choose to participate in drug trafficking enterprises. We will also work in concert with our partners to seize the financial assets of these organizations, which are obtained through illicit means," stated FBI Special Agent in Charge David Cuthbertson.

Pinedo Operation

A superseding indictment, returned last month and unsealed this afternoon, charges eight individuals, including Lerma, Salcedo, and Magdaleno, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The indictment alleges that during a seven-month period beginning in May 2010, the defendants, under the direction of 33-year-old Juan Gerardo Pinedo, of Sunland Park, New Mexico, conspired to distribute controlled substances including more than five kilograms of cocaine, more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. Pinedo, as well as co-defendants Yoshio Acosta, age 26, of El Paso; Heriberto Guardian Madera, age 47, a Mexican national residing in El Paso; Uriel Quinonez, age 28, of El Paso; and Thomas Aldama, age 41, of El Paso, were already in custody prior to today’s arrests.

The Pinedo investigation, led by agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, was conducted with assistance from the El Paso Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Anthony Police Department, Texas Attorney General's Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

"These arrests demonstrate the value of multi-agency collaboration, which is essential in our ability to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations. We will continue to work together and pursue those who threaten our communities through the smuggling and distribution of illegal drugs," stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit

Upon conviction, Magdaleno faces between five and 40 years in federal prison; the remaining defendants face 10 years to life in federal prison.

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.