Imperial Valley pharmaceutical network linked to cartel, accuses feds

Federal agents have arrested 36 people, including a U.S. Border Patrol agent, allegedly linked to a California drug, gun and money laundering ring linked to the Sinaloa cartel.

Agents raided locations around the world on Wednesday, executing search warrants in Imperial Valley, San Diego, Fresno and Los Angeles, as well as in Phoenix, Arizona, and Salem, Oregon , announced the Ministry of Justice in a press release. A total of 47 people have been charged in connection with the alleged criminal network.

Among those arrested was Alexander Grindley, a U.S. Border Patrol agent charged with trafficking methamphetamine. Grindley is also linked to several spinoff investigations in this case and in other jurisdictions, according to authorities.

Eleven people named in the federal charges remain at large. More than 400 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies were involved in the raids.

Since the Organized Crime Task Force investigation began, federal agents have seized more than 700 pounds of methamphetamine, 52 firearms and 4 kilograms of fentanyl. An undisclosed quantity of cocaine and heroin were also seized by federal agents during their investigation.

The suspects named in the 14 indictments unsealed Wednesday are accused of drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses, the Justice Department said. Their operations were conducted in Brawley, El Centro, Westmoreland, Imperial, Calexico, Niland, Holtville and Calipatria in California's Imperial Valley, according to authorities. The suspects were also operating out of Mexicali, Mexico.

The suspects belonged to several trafficking operations that were part of a network supplying Imperial County and other locations with drugs, federal prosecutors said.

Federal agents have been working on the case for several years.

On June 30, 2021, agents seized two pounds of methamphetamine and a multitude of ghost guns and ammunition, according to court records.

Items seized by federal agents included various rifle parts, including slides, barrels and stocks. Agents also found 18 rifle magazines, 9mm rounds and about 400 rounds of Russian-made Red Army .223 ammunition, prosecutors said. None of the parts or firearms had serial numbers.

Federal agents learned through wiretapped conversations that Cory Gershen allegedly provided ghost guns to other drug traffickers in exchange for methamphetamine, the Justice Department said. The stockpile of assault rifles intercepted by federal agents was bound for Mexico, prosecutors say.

Federal agents also seized two assault rifle-style ghost rifles, a Colt .380 semi-automatic handgun and other Russian rifle ammunition when they arrested Guadalupe Molina-Flores on June 30, 2021, another suspected member of the trafficking operation, authorities said. Officers also say they found 309 grams of methamphetamine at his home.

“With this takedown, the Department of Justice has dealt another blow to the Sinaloa Cartel and its associates,” said Atty. » General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “We will continue to fight tirelessly to protect American communities from cartels.”

These arrests come as fentanyl has devastated communities across the country. California has recorded 7,385 opioid-related deaths in 2022 and 24 in Imperial County, according to the state Department of Public Health.

With the influx of fentanyl into California, federal agents learned that the price of a pill on the black market had fallen sharply, according to the Justice Department. In June 2021, a pill sold in Imperial Valley cost around $1.65 or $1.75, but dropped later that year to $1.25. Last May, these same pills were sold for just 45 cents.

“This investigation destroyed a drug trafficking network responsible for supplying dealers in communities across the region,” Tara McGrath, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a statement. “But there is still a lot of work to do. If you're a parent and the current price of fentanyl terrifies you, talk to your children about the dangers of drug use. If you are a drug addict and your dealer was arrested today, seek treatment. And if you're a reseller but your supplier was arrested today, pay attention: we'll come for you next.