Date: April 24, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
Pittsburgh, PA — Ten individuals from Arizona, Ohio, Washington, and Mexico—including a member of the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) Cártel de Sinaloa and one person illegally residing in the United States—pleaded guilty in federal court this week to charges of violating federal narcotics and money laundering laws in relation to an international drug trafficking organization (DTO), Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. The defendants were among 35 individuals charged through a Second Superseding Indictment unsealed in January 2024 for their participation in a domestic and international narcotics and money laundering conspiracy involving substantial quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine (read the Second Superseding Indictment news release here).
Pleading guilty this week before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan were:
| Plea date | Defendant | Residence |
|---|---|---|
| April 21 | Humberto Arredondo-Soto | Culiacan, Mexico |
| April 21 | Jaime Ledesma | Phoenix, Arizona |
| April 21 | Stephanie Ortiz | Avondale, Arizona |
| April 22 | Samuel Aguirre | Phoenix, Arizona |
| April 22 | Jesus Lopez | Phoenix, Arizona |
| April 22 | Diego Monarrez | Phoenix, Arizona |
| April 22 | Adrian Lopez Rivera | Phoenix, Arizona |
| April 23 | Donnell Collins | Cleveland, Ohio |
| April 23 | Luis Fentanes | Phoenix, Arizona |
| April 23 | Mohamed Kariye | Kent, Washington |
In connection with the guilty pleas, the Court was advised that, on various dates from in and around August 2021 to in and around June 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, the defendants conspired to possess with intent to distribute and distribute large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and/or methamphetamine. Specifically, Arredondo-Soto, Ledesma (who was residing in Phoenix illegally), Ortiz, Aguirre, Lopez, Rivera, and Monarrez each conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, with all except Monarrez also having conspired to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Similarly, from in and around August 2021 to in and around March 2023, Collins and Fentanes conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine, with Collins also having possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine on March 2, 2023, while Kariye conspired to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The defendants were intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that they distributed to others. Further, from in and around April 2022 to in and around March 2023, Aguirre conspired to commit money laundering, packaging drug proceeds and delivering large amounts of U.S. currency to couriers to smuggle into Mexico to pay for re-supplies of drugs.
Arredondo-Soto, a Mexican national with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, was the source of supply for the DTO and was responsible for trafficking millions of fentanyl pills and hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine that the DTO distributed. Numerous military-grade firearms were trafficked into Mexico for Arredondo-Soto as payment from members of the DTO for the drugs. In coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, Arredondo-Soto was arrested in Mexico in November 2023 by Mexican law enforcement authorities and extradited to the United States in February 2024.
Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencings for November 3-5, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both, or, for Kariye, not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of each defendant.
With this week’s 10 guilty pleas, 19 of the 35 defendants charged in the Second Superseding Indictment have now pleaded guilty in the case, with six defendants having been sentenced thus far. Included among those sentencings is Mark Camacho, 26, of Phoenix, Arizona, who Judge Ranjan sentenced this week to 57 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Assistant United States Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Tonya S. Goodman are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of the defendants. Additional agencies participating in this investigation include the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition from Mexico of Arredondo-Soto.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.