Eight co-conspirators indicted along with cartel member who smuggled fentanyl into North Dakota from prison cell – InForum

FARGO — The indictment charging a federal inmate and eight co-conspirators with international trafficking of methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl was unsealed today in a North Dakota federal court.

According to court documents, since January 2022, Jesus Amurahaby Celestin-Ortega, also known as Flaco, 26, engaged in drug and money laundering conspiracies and an ongoing criminal enterprise for his incarceration in federal prison on unrelated charges.

Government prosecutors say Celestin-Ortega operated a criminal ring using a contraband cell phone from inside the Colorado federal prison to import and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, more than a kilogram of heroin and more of 400 grams of fentanyl.

He is accused of directing and coordinating the importation of drugs into the United States and their distribution in North Dakota, Minnesota and several other states, including California, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Texas and Arizona.

Celestin-Ortega also allegedly conspired to launder drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico.

Earlier this month, The Forum reported on the case after an unsealed search warrant provided details of the investigation. The indictment accused Celestin-Ortega and his co-defendants of helping facilitate shipments of fentanyl and methamphetamine to Fargo in June and December of last year, as well as the delivery of a kilogram of heroin to Grand Forks in February of this year.

Eight co-conspirators — Trinidad Torres Meraz, 58, of Riverside, California; Edgar Hernandez, also known as Ivan Edgar Hernandez Vasquez, 43, no place of residence listed; Maria De La Cruz Estrada Moreno, 40, of El Paso, Texas; Jesse Rocha, 25, of Denver; Rafael Bueno-Nava, 49, of Fridley, Minnesota; Ryan James Stevens, 41, of Arvada, Colorado; Christian Ivan Gonzalez, 31, of Phoenix; and Martina Lucia Mendez, 26, of Gilbert, Arizona — are accused of participating in the distribution conspiracy.

Celestin-Ortega and six of the co-conspirators were arrested on the indictment and made their first appearances in court.

Hernandez and Mendez have not been located, but investigators believe they are likely in Mexico, according to court documents.

“The United States decides to unseal the indictment because its release could assist in locating these fugitives,” states a motion filed in federal court Monday, June 24.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison for the drug distribution conspiracy and importation conspiracy counts, and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy counts. 'money.

The case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force effort called Operation Wedding Day Blues, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of North Dakota.

Marlon Cobar, chief of the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Section of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, signed the indictment. The Section's mission is to focus on the investigation and prosecution of the most significant domestic and transnational drug trafficking threats affecting the United States, according to the Department of Justice.