DENVER—Last week a federal grand jury in
Denver returned two separate indictments charging a total of 22 defendants with
crimes related to the trafficking of methamphetamine and international money
laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Force’s (OCDETF) Strike Force announced. Of the 22 indicted, 20 people
were arrested yesterday without incident in metro Denver, California, Utah, and
Iowa. The two others not arrested are considered fugitives from justice. The
first indictment involves 11 defendants and 135 counts. The second indictment involves
11 additional defendants and 22 counts. Most of those arrested yesterday
appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver yesterday afternoon for their initial
appearance, where they were advised of the charges pending against them.
During the course of the investigation,
including fruits from search warrants executed yesterday, agents and officers
have seized a total of over six pounds of methamphetamine, $715,340 in currency
and property, and one firearm. Included in the total are two vehicles, two 2004
Freightliner tractor trailers, and a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro.
The arrests are a culmination of a
year-and-a-half-long Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF)
investigation, known as Dark Angel, which targeted the Armando Mendoza-Haro
Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), which has ties to Mexico. The DTO utilized
corrupt drivers from a trucking company, using their semi-tractor trailers to
move methamphetamine from California to Colorado. The tractor trailers were
also used to move money back from Colorado to California. In one instance, the
money was hidden in a truck load of milk. The DTO also used other means to send
money back to California, including one instance were a minor had cash strapped
to his body as he was being driven to California.
One unique aspect of this investigation
was the money laundering the defendants allegedly engaged in. The defendants
attempted to conceal and disguise the origin of the methamphetamine proceeds.
They did this by depositing the methamphetamine proceeds into various bank
accounts at financial institutions (called funnel accounts). In an attempt to
avoid bank reporting requirements, the defendants would structure the deposits
into the accounts by making deposits of less than $10,000. Financial
institutions are required to file a currency transaction report (CTR) for any
currency transaction in excess of $10,000. To further conceal the ownership and
source of the methamphetamine proceeds in the funnel accounts, the defendants
would move the funds that were deposited into the funnel accounts to other
accounts by means of wire transfers. These wire transfers included transferring
funds domestically and internationally. In some instances, there were
subsequent wire transfers back to the original funnel accounts with cash
withdrawals made in California, avoiding the $10,000 reporting requirements.
Commissioned in July 2011, the mission
of the Denver OCDETF Strike Force is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute the
command and control structure of major international and interstate drug
transportation and smuggling organizations operating in and through the
Mountain West region of the United States through collaborative criminal and
financial investigations. The Denver Strike Force is one of only 11 across the
country. The strike forces are mostly housed in large cities.
The Denver OCDETF Strike Force is
comprised of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations,
the U.S. Marshals Service, the Aurora Police Department, the Colorado State
Patrol, the Denver Police Department, the Fort Collins Police Services, the
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lakewood Police Department.
Those arrested yesterday include:
Armando Mendoza-Haro (Northglenn,
Colorado)
Jesus Segovia (Denver, Colorado)
Miguel Angel Sanchez (San Bernardino,
California
Daniela Munguia de Ortiz (Pomona,
California)
Yuly Hernandez-Orozco (Edgewater,
Colorado)
Alejandro Morales-Garcia (Marshalltown,
Iowa)
Carlos Martin Segura Chang (Downey,
California)
Sonia Perez (Denver, Colorado)
Reyna Mendoza-Haro (Corcoran,
California)
Jaime Moreno-Lopez (currently in BOP
custody)
Ricky Henry Cisneros (Denver, Colorado)
Ivan Gomez-Avila (Denver, Colorado)
Shana Louise Claybourn (Denver,
Colorado)
Cris Anthony Sandoval (Lakewood,
Colorado)
Todd Joseph Trujillo (Westminster,
Colorado)
Kennie Ray Snyder (currently in state
custody)
Christina Rose Malmgren (Highlands Ranch,
Colorado)
Desiree Rose Ceballes (Glendale,
Colorado)
Ricardo Paniagua-Rodriguez (San Ysidro,
California)
Sergio Mendoza-Valdovinos (Utah)
“Thanks to the outstanding efforts of
the OCDETF Strike Force, 22 drug dealers have been charged with trafficking
methamphetamine, most of which was delivered to metro Denver,” said U.S.
Attorney John Walsh. “This week’s arrests will have an impact on the
availability of methamphetamine on the streets of Denver.”
“The indictments we are announcing today
reflect the hard work of Denver OCDETF Strike Force, who targeted a Mexican
drug trafficking organization responsible for the transportation of significant
quantities of methamphetamine from California to Colorado,” said DEA Special
Agent in Charge Barbra Roach. “In addition to the drug trafficking aspects of
this investigation, it is important to note the success investigators had in
detecting and charging the money laundering scheme in which the organization
was able to use in order to transfer drug proceeds to Mexican cartel members in
Mexico.”
“Methamphetamine-trafficking
organizations are deeply rooted in money and greed,” said Michael Holt, Special
Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Denver. “HSI routinely
uses our unique law enforcement authorities in such operations to specifically
target the finances that drive these crimes.”
“IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is
committed to fighting the war on drugs in conjunction with our law enforcement
partners,” said Sean Sowards, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal
Investigation, Denver Field Office. “IRS-CI has the financial investigators and
expertise to disrupt these organizations and deprive them of their illicit
gains.”
“Long term collaborative investigations
like Dark Angel are invaluable, especially when they achieve this kind of
success,” said Denver Police Chief Robert White. “Getting 22 drug dealers and
their narcotics off the street will make Denver a much safer city.”
“This multi-agency and
multi-jurisdictional investigation will curtail the illegal drug market in the
Western United States,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge James Yacone.
“We will continue the efforts with our federal, state, and local partners to
aggressively investigate and prosecute these drug smuggling organizations that
impact our communities.”
If convicted, the defendants face
penalties ranging from not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison,
to not less than five years and up to 20 years, depending on the quantity of
drugs they are accused of trafficking. Some face not more than 20 years in
federal prison for money laundering and/or other drug trafficking charges.
Others face not more than four years for using a communication facility (e.g.,
a phone) while committing the felony drug offense.
The indictments also include asset
forfeiture allegations. If convicted, the defendants shall forfeit their
rights, titles, and interests in all property constituting and derived from any
proceeds obtained directly and indirectly as a result of their crime.
This case is being prosecuted by
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Phillips and Kasandra Carleton. Assistant U.S.
Attorney Tonya Andrews assisted with the Asset Forfeiture aspect of this case.
The charges contained in the indictments
are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until
proven guilty.
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