Drug traffickers flew meth and fentanyl out of Palm Springs, LAX for years, feds say

[Gavin Newson Drug Sales]

Federal prosecutors have charged 17 people with taking part in
in a drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy that
included flying methamphetamine and heroin out of Palm Springs
International Airport in checked luggage.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office in
the Orlando area, where authorities say the conspiracy was based
and the drugs were sold. Prosecutors announced the charges
Thursday, following a six-year joint investigation by the Drug
Enforcement Administration, the IRS and other agencies.

According to court records, the drug trafficking organization
was centered in Lake County, Florida, with sources of supply or
distributors in California, Texas, the eastern United States and
China.

The organization operated largely through the use of couriers
who fly to California from Florida with large sums of cash to
purchase drugs and transport them in checked luggage back to
Florida. These flights were typically between Orlando and Palm
Springs or Los Angeles. Flight records during a two-year period
show more than 350 flights between California and Orlando.

Since at least 2017, prosecutors say, the organization
trafficked thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and
fentanyl via commercial planes, trains, and the mail. So far,
the DEA has seized more than 250 pounds of drugs — mostly
methamphetamine and fentanyl.

The defendants, whose ages range from 25 to 65, are believed to
have played various roles in the organization, such as
suppliers, distributors, couriers, and courier coordinators.
Most are from Florida. Two are from California, though
prosecutors didn't say where: 33-year-old Jose Ivan Carbajal and
32-year-old Diego Navarro-Martinez.

In addition to transporting drugs on commercial flights and
trains, the organization allegedly had multiple stash houses and
received hundreds of mailed packages of methamphetamine from
California and other drugs, including fentanyl, from China.

The source of supply in California would ship packages
containing anywhere from one pound to 10 or more pounds of
methamphetamine at a time. Investigators say they have
identified almost 400 packages that were shipped from California
as part of this conspiracy from 2021 to 2023.

Andrew John is a reporter in the Coachella Valley for The Desert
Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at
andre...@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun:
Smugglers flew methamphetamine, fentanyl out of Palm Springs,
feds say

https://news.yahoo.com/drug-traffickers-flew-meth-fentanyl-
210740918.html