Los Angeles, California – Four men from Los Angeles County are facing federal charges after a sweeping investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration uncovered what authorities described as a large-scale drug trafficking operation involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other controlled substances. The indictment, announced Monday by the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division, followed a May 22 raid at a Compton safehouse and resulted in the arrest of all four suspects on May 28.
According to federal prosecutors, the raid yielded a significant cache of narcotics and related contraband: over 1,700 pounds of methamphetamine, 257 pounds of powder fentanyl, 238 pounds of cocaine, roughly 360,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills, and more than $1.6 million in cash. In addition, authorities seized 13 firearms and seven vehicles believed to be tied to the drug operation.
The four men, identified as Jesse Lopez-Martinez, 27, of Long Beach; Carlos Mendoza Jr., 32, of Compton; Hector Merced Parra Jr., 25, of South Gate; and Juan Francisco Felix Salazar, 28, of Whittier, have each been charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Lopez-Martinez, who goes by “Gordo,” and Mendoza, known as “Los,” face additional charges related to the possession and distribution of drugs and firearms. Mendoza has also been charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and as a felon in possession of a firearm, due to a prior 2012 felony drug conviction in Los Angeles County…