Law Enforcement Seized 60 Firearms, 18 High-Capacity Magazines and Ammunition, and Two Tractor Trailers With Hidden Compartments for Smuggling Narcotics
Fourteen members of a major drug organization that trafficked hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area and illegally possessed firearms in support of that operation, were sentenced today, following a two-year investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“These sentences are another example of how the Justice Department is targeting the Sinaloa and CJNG cartel networks that are poisoning the American people with fentanyl and fueling violent crime in communities across the country,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The cartels are responsible for creating the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced — we will continue to attack every aspect of their operations, including their associated drug trafficking organizations in the United States.”
“Deadly drugs like fentanyl and the gun violence tied to the drug trade are responsible for shattering families and devastating our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina. “The prosecution of this trafficking organization with ties to Mexican drug cartels exemplifies our ongoing efforts to disrupt drug networks, reduce drug-induced gun violence, and build strong and safe communities. I want to thank the DEA and all of our law enforcement partners for their exemplary work in this case and for joining forces to combat drug activity and violent crime.”
“Dangerous drugs continue to flow into our communities at the expense of too many lives,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This successful operation has ensured these violent drug traffickers have been taken off our streets, ultimately making the communities safer for everyone.”
According to court documents and court proceedings, from 2017 to 2022, the defendants were members of a large drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl, and other narcotics in and around the Charlotte area. Information presented in court shows that the DTO had ties to, and was directly supplied from, the Sinaloa and CJNG cartels.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the multi-agency investigation into the DTO included court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of narcotics, extensive surveillance, and the execution of dozens of search warrants, and led to the seizure of large quantities of narcotics, including approximately 328 kilograms of cocaine, 26 kilograms of fentanyl, and a kilogram of heroin. In addition to the narcotics, law enforcement seized approximately 60 firearms, 18 high-capacity magazines and ammunition, more than $2.4 million in cash drug proceeds, over $300,000 in jewelry, two residences, ten vehicles, a boat, and two tractor-trailers with hidden compartments for smuggling narcotics.
United States District Judge Robert J. Conrad sentenced the 14 defendants as follows:
- Salvador Barrera Jr., 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 24 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Ricardo Johnathan Gomez, 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Johnny Lane Owens Sr., 46, of Albemarle, North Carolina, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Isaac Sandoval, 31, of Salisbury, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
- Adrian Christopher Solares, 33, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Luis Raymundo Macias-Robles, 32, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 121 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Norberto Macedo Jr., 29, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 95 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Derek Duane Crump, 42, of Albemarle, was sentenced to 77 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Christian Alexander Hernandez, 29, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 74 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
- Erik Perales, 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 72 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.
- Jesus Adrian Perales, 32, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
- Janquil Josselyn Jackson, 30, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to 37 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
- Christok Alexander Mata, 21, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 36 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
- David George Jansen, 45, of Indian Land, South Carolina, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
The DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, Anderson County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Office, Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Stanly County Sheriff’s Office, York County, South Carolina, Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit, Albemarle Police Department, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Cornelius Police Department, Mint Hill Police Department, Monroe Police Department, Pineville Police Department, and Salisbury Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Taylor G. Stout and Alfredo De La Rosa for the Western District of North Carolina prosecuted the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
