13 charged by feds in meth, heroin and fentanyl trafficking ring operated in Fresno
Three Fresno men and 10 others are accused in a drug-trafficking operation that spread into several states, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday.
The federal grand jury returned two indictments Thursday against the Fresno men — Jesus Gonzalez-Burgos, 36, Gabriel Gomez-Nunez, 36, and Jose Rubalcalva Gutierrez Jr., 34 — charging them with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl.
Also charged with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl: Juan Alejandro Comparan-Guzman, 34, of Kerman; Quintin Jeuh Carlos-Bañuelos, 25, of Palo Alto; Hector Gomez, 27, of Omaha, Neb.; Francisco Ramírez, 20, of Fresno; Lorena Ramírez, 36, of Fresno; Christina Maria Nino, 57, of Fresno; Anna Concepcion Jimenez-Ambriz, 21, of Fresno; Rafael Zaragoza, 28, of Fresno; Carol Maldonaldo Vasquez, 32, of Corcoran; and Rita Ann-Marie Louis, 29, of Carnation, Wash.
Authorities said they spent nine months investigating the Fresno drug-trafficking ring that allegedly spread into Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Nebraska.
Court documents revealed the defendants were trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl-laced counterfeit OxyContin pills and heroin into those states.
Authorities seized approximately 34,144 pills of counterfeit OxyContin pills containing fentanyl, 7 pounds of cocaine, 2 pounds of heroin, 137 pounds of methamphetamine and $142,000 during the investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
If convicted, the suspects face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.
