California drug ring shipped meth to Hawaii disguised as Aztec statues, prosecutors say
COURTESY U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
An agent holds a block of methamphetamine disguised as an Aztec calendar seized in a raid. Nine members of an alleged Southern California drug trafficking ring are accused of shipping the contraband to Hawaii.
LOS ANGELES >> Nine members of a Southern California drug trafficking ring accused of disguising methamphetamine as decorative Aztec calendars and statues to ship the drug to Hawaii are behind bars, federal authorities said today.
A grand jury last week indicted Felix Salgado, 28, of Perris; German Bastidas Nunez, 46, of Moreno Valley; Moises Rey Avina, 39, of Santa Ana; Gary Wayne Minter, 55, of Victorville; Stephen Dgewell Martin, 30, of Anaheim; and Vaimanino Lee Pomele, 49, and his wife, Alejandra Pomele, 44; Fernando Caballero Rascon, 42; and James Arnold Borbon, 58, all of Garden Grove.
Nearly 2 pounds of methamphetamine were shipped to Hawaii from a FedEx store in Santa Ana in January, according to the indictment filed in federal court.
In April, members of the group are accused of sending nearly 5 pounds of meth that had been packed inside bags of ground coffee to Hawaii from a FedEx store in Cypress.
And in July, the ring shipped a larger amount of meth — about 25 pounds — to the island. The drugs were disguised as colorful, decorative items, including replicas of 500-year-old Aztec calendar stones and statues, the indictment states.
Authorities intercepted all three shipments.
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Each defendant faces one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, three counts of possession with intent to distribute meth, two counts of use of a communication facility to facilitate a narcotics offense and one count of aiding and abetting, according to the indictment.
If convicted, they face a minimum sentence of at least five years in prison, according to prosecutors.
