Authorities say the head of a large heroin dealing ring and 11 of his distributors were arrested last weekend after a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation.
According to federal charging documents filed in U.S. District Court, Clodoaldo Garcia-Ramirez is accused of running a significant heroin dealing operation that averaged about $4,000 a day in sales and distributed about 7 kilograms of the drug within a one-month period.
Federal agents intercepted phone calls to and from Garcia-Ramirez. From June 25 through Aug. 16, agents logged thousands of phone conversations between Garcia-Ramirez and people wanting to purchase drugs. Customers used code names for drugs, but federal officials would not say what they were.
According to the charges, Garcia-Ramirez would contact distributors and instruct them where to go for deliveries. During intercepted phone calls, Garcia-Ramirez stated he had been dealing drugs for 18 years and that he was pulling in about $4,000 a day in sales.
Gustavo Hernandez-Lopez was in charge of resupplying distributors and collected money from their sales, while Alfredo Rios-Guerrero and Hector Baiardo-Nunez maintained the stash house and packaged the drugs for distribution, the charges state.
Agents also say Garcia-Ramirez delivered larger drug quantities to other drug trafficking organizations and independent traffickers in the Salt Lake City area.
On July 29, agents reported that Garcia-Ramirez met with a Mexican supplier in Magna. Two of his distributors were seen removing drugs from the vehicle and loading it with cash. A drug courier was later intercepted, and about $96,000 was seized from the vehicle. Based on intercepted phone calls, agents knew that another $40,000 was stored in the car's door panels.
Several other distributors were also intercepted with quantities of heroin in their possession. On Aug. 18, Anthony Sublasky and Pedro Delacruz were arrested. Agents found about $10,000 hidden in their vehicle.
Also charged are Arnulfo Garcia-Pena, Oved Parra-Mora, Julio Soto-Medina, Nemias Saldana-Prada, Arturo Soriano-Esqueda and Luis Humberto Sanchez. All 12 men are charged with conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
The men appeared before a federal magistrate on Tuesday. All men are being held in federal custody. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, all but one of the men are reported to be illegal aliens.
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com