Crime & Safety
Feds Charge 24 in Antelope Valley and San Gabriel Drug Crackdown
Altadena man is accused of being a methamphamine supplier in the drug bust.
From City News Service
Law enforcement officers Thursday arrested a dozen members of a drug-dealing, Pasadena-based gang for their alleged roles in a trafficking network that imported methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin from Sinaloa, Mexico, for sale in the San Gabriel and Antelope valleys.
Three federal indictments charge 24 people with drug-related crimes. Along with the 12 arrested today, two were already in custody, two were deported and three were unidentified.
Five suspects are considered fugitives, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
A law enforcement task force searched 10 locations to gather evidence related to "Operation Rosebud," which targeted Vario Pasadena Rifa, one of Pasadena's oldest street gangs.
The name roughly translates to "We rule the neighborhoods of Pasadena."
The gang is known to distribute large quantities of meth locally.
As part of "Operation Rosebud," more than 60 pounds of meth, six pounds of tar heroin and five pounds of powdered cocaine were seized from sources linked to the drug-trafficking organization, officials said.
Early in the 18-month investigation, defendant Edwin "Dex" Ayala, 34, of Altadena was identified as a supplier of meth to VPR members, as well as members and associates of other area gangs, federal prosecutors allege.
The task force investigation determined that Ayala was allegedly being supplied with the drug by defendant Jose Salvador Villa, 37, of West Covina.
Both men are in custody.
During today's operation, at least five minor children were removed from their homes by child welfare workers with the county Department of Children and Family Services.
If convicted of the charges, most defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of at least five years in federal prison and some face potential life sentences.
