Thirty-Five Defendants, Including Ring Leader, Prosecuted in Major Take Down of International Drug Trafficking Organization Based in Lane County

PORTLAND, Ore.—U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced today that members of a major international drug trafficking organization, including one of its ringleaders and sources of supply from Mexico, have been charged with distributing methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl into Oregon between 2018 and 2020.

A federal grand jury in Eugene has returned a one-count indictment charging Victor Diaz-Ramirez, 30, who was residing in Mexico, with Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. This Indictment is part of a much larger investigation into the large-scale distribution of drugs into Oregon from Mexico by the drug trafficking organization led by Diaz-Ramirez (“the Diaz DTO”). According to court documents, the Diaz DTO has been operating at least since 2018. The Diaz DTO imported drugs into the United States from Mexico, transported them from California to Oregon hidden inside vehicles, then distributed them throughout Oregon from its distribution cell located in Lane County.

The government’s investigation has resulted in the prosecution of 35 individuals (listed below) who are members or associates of the Diaz DTO. The scheme involved shipment of drugs from Mexico into Southern California by Diaz-Ramirez and others, where they were subsequently transported in large wooden boxes by couriers to Oregon and delivered to co-conspirators operating a distribution cell. There, the drugs were divided and prepared for distribution in large pound quantities for delivery to local distributors in Eugene, Springfield, and Salem, for eventual redistribution to their local customer base. During its investigation, law enforcement seized from the Diaz DTO over 260 pounds of methamphetamine, 16 pounds of heroin, 6 pounds of fentanyl in the form of 4000 fentanyl pills, 76 firearms, 1 grenade, multiple vehicles, and more than $760,000 in cash used to facilitate drug transactions.

The following people have been arrested as members and associates of the Diaz DTO and prosecuted with drug related charges: Victor Diaz-Ramirez, 30; Rodolfo Arroyo-Segoviano, 34; Jose Manuel Cabadas, 36; Nicholas A. Norton-Guerra, 30; Arturo Gonzalez Jr., 22; Jose Cruz Granados Munoz, 33; Robert Harrington, 40; Gregory Todd Daily, 57; Austin Wayne Reinke, 34; Shelby Lynn Mathews, 30; Javin Michael Loomis, 42; William Joseph Hawkins, 42; Randy Allen Hendricks, 59; Vernon Eli Reece, 58; Alejandro Augustin Cardenas, 43; Spencer Arthur Crawford, 36; Anthony Robert Andreotti, 43; Isidro Mateo-Olivera, 32; Andres Santacruz, 40; Yasmani Diaz Iturbe, 35; Artemio Lorea Carrillo, 47; Alejandro Lara, 27; Karine Garabedian, 36; Tamara Gonzalez-Valdivia, 24; Andres Avila Gamboa, 29; Israel Salvador Mercado-Mendoza, 33; Rigoberto Morfin-Pedroza, 36; Delfino Angel Davila-Tamayo, 27; Cristina Maria Elizabeth Fregoso, 36; Jose Leonidas Gonzalez-Castillo, 52; Felipe Antonio Rapalo, 31; Eddy Eduardo Rapalo, 24; Gustavo Arango-Moreno, 29; and Victor Ramos-Vergara, 32.

“For years, the Diaz DTO brought poison from Mexico to the streets of Oregon in the form of methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin” said United States Attorney Billy J Williams. “This takedown represents a major disruption of that pipeline of drugs into our community. This investigation shows that large scale drug distribution is not limited to Portland. This organization used Lane County as its base and from there sent drugs across the entire state. This prosecution is especially important as the entire organization was targeted; from the source of supply in Mexico, to the couriers bringing the drugs north, and to those involved in the statewide distribution network. The prosecution of those involved is a major step in law enforcement’s efforts to stop the river of drugs flowing from Mexico to Oregon. I want to thank our federal and state partners for their work in investigating, interdicting, and arresting those involved and especially effecting the arrest of the alleged ringleader, Victor Ramirez-Diaz.”

“The dismantlement of this international drug trafficking organization centered in Eugene, Oregon, demonstrates how effective law enforcement efforts are when we work together,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cam Strahm. “The organization targeted and brought to justice through this case will not prey on the citizens of Lane County and residents of Oregon for a long time.”

>https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/thirty-five-defendants-including-ring-leader-prosecuted-major-take-down-international

>>11351377

19 Defendants Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme

From January 2019 up to an including the present, defendants AHMAD AKBAR, a/k/a “Meech,” TYRELL BEECHER, a/k/a “Shae,” CHRISTOPHER BOVAIN, a/k/a “Cleko,” WINNIS BRITO, a/k/a “Flaco,” DARNELL GREEN, a/k/a “Nellz,” DOMINIQUE GREEN, a/k/a “Domo,” MAURICE HARGROW, a/k/a “Moe Tally,” CHARLES HEWITT, a/k/a “Young Cee,” KEVIN LEWIS, a/k/a “Mula,” JAMA MOHAMOUD, a/k/a “JFK Jay,” JAVIAN MOORE, a/k/a “Julio,” JORDAN RUSSELL, a/k/a “J Rozay,” DEVON SMITH, GEORGE THOMPSON, LOUIS WILLIAMS, ISAIAH WISE FORDHAM, a/k/a “ZayBands,” and JAHNICO HARVEY conspired to defraud the United States by cashing postal money orders that had been stolen from post offices in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, New Jersey, and Arkansas. The postal money orders cashed by the members of the conspiracy originated from 18 post offices. In total, more than 15,000 postal money orders have been stolen from those 18 post offices. At a face value of up to $1,000 per postal money order, the theft results in a potential loss to the USPS of up to $15 million.

From at least in or around January 2018, up to and including the present, defendants TYRELL BEECHER, a/k/a “Shae,” CHRISTOPHER BOVAIN, a/k/a “Cleko,” WINNIS BRITO, a/k/a “Flaco,” DONTA DOUGLAS, DOMINIQUE GREEN, a/k/a “Domo,” MAURICE HARGROW, a/k/a “Moe Tally,” CHARLES HEWITT, a/k/a “Young Cee,” KEVIN LEWIS, a/k/a “Mula,” JAMA MOHAMOUD, a/k/a “JFK Jay,” JAVIAN MOORE, a/k/a “Julio,” JORDAN RUSSELL, a/k/a “J Rozay,” JONATHAN SHORTT, LOUIS WILLIAMS, ISAIAH WISE FORDHAM, a/k/a “ZayBands,” and JAHNICO HARVEY defrauded multiple national banks by recruiting collusive accountholders who allowed members of the conspiracy to deposit fraudulent checks into their bank accounts and by withdrawing money from the collusive bank accounts after banks made available funds associated with the fraudulent check deposits to the account, but before the banks discovered that the checks were fraudulent and would not clear.

All of the defendants charged in the bank fraud conspiracy, as well as AKBAR and SMITH, have also been charged with aggravated identity theft.

>https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/19-defendants-charged-manhattan-federal-court-multimillion-dollar-fraud-scheme

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