Skip to Content
News

Meth Dealers Tried and Failed to Disguise Drugs as Aztec Art

9:00 PM PDT on October 16, 2018

Courtesy of DOJ.

[dropcap size=big]F[/dropcap]ederal authorities arrested nine members of a Southern California drug ring trying to FedEx methamphetamine disguised as decorative Aztec calendars and statues to Hawaii, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Central District Office.

“Those drugs were part of a nearly 90-pound shipment that appeared to be colorful, decorative Mexican items, including replicas of the 500-year-old Aztec calendar stone,” the U.S. Attorney’s Central District Office said in the statement Tuesday.

RELATED: Cops Make $11 Million Drug Bust, Arrest 13 Suspected Sinaloa Cartel Members in the Valley and Ventura County

Courtesy of DOJ.

The nine members of the drug ring – including one who was already in custody for a crime not related to this case – are being charged with a series of crimes including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, including three shipments this year.

The crew is accused of trying to ship about two pounds of meth to the island from a FedEx store in Santa Ana in January, according to the Los Angeles Times. In April, they tried sending nearly five pounds of meth that had been packed inside bags of ground coffee to Hawaii from a FedEx store in Cypress.

In the third shipment, the crew tried to mail about 25 pounds (11.7 kg) of meth from a post office in Garden Grove. Authorities intercepted all three shipments.

The Department of Justice described specific jobs performed by the individuals named in the indictment. It was the job of Felix Salgado, a 28 year old resident of Perris, to get wholesale quantities of meth on behalf of the conspiracy. German Bastidas Nunez, a.k.a. “Cheque,” a 46-year-old resident of Moreno Valley, was Felix’s supplier. He was the guy the federal authorities already had in custody.

Courtesy of DOJ.

Vaimanino Lee Pomele, 49, of Garden Grove, allegedly organized the shipments to Hawaii. His wife, Alejandra Pomele, 44, also of Garden Grove, allegedly delivered the narcotics to a customer on at least one occasion, authorities said. Stephen Dgewell Martin, 30, of Anaheim, allegedly took the dope disguised as Aztec calendars and statues to the post office in garden Grove. And Gary Wayne Minter, 55, of Victorville, was the guy who allegedly provided the stash house.

If convicted, the supects face a mandatory minimum sentence of at least five years in federal prison, but they potentially could be sentenced to decades in prison. They are being prosecuted out of the U.S. Central District’s Santa Ana Branch Office.

RELATED: ‘Ghost Guns’ ~ L.A. Gangs Are Making Their Own Untraceable Firearms

Already a user?Log in

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Become a Member

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Spot Check: Colombian Desgranados In Echo Park, Mexican Wine Festival At Mírate, and Perverted Waffles in DTLA

Plus, a party highlighting pan-African cuisine, a new Taiwanese cookbook by an awarded local from the San Gabriel Valley, and a Little Saigon food festival that starts tonight! Welcome back to Spot Check!

September 22, 2023

This 24-Year-Old Latina Mortician Beautifies the Dead and Influences the Living

Growing up in Arleta with a first-generation family from El Salvador, Berrios admits that her family only embraced her career choice two years ago, after she started to win awards like “Young Funeral Director of the Year.” The 24-year-old works as the licenced funeral director and embalmer at Hollywood Forever cemetery. As a young person born in peak Generation Z, she's documented her deathcare journey on TikTok and has accrued more than 43K followers on the platform. 

September 21, 2023

Meet ‘Carnitas Rogelio,’ The Family-Run Stand With The Best Michoacán-Style Carnitas O.C. Has to Offer

Michoacán-raised Rogelio Gonzalez slices the cuerito (the pig skin) in a checkered pattern to ensure a light crunch in each bite and utilizes every part of the pig, from the feet to the liver and intestines, which he binds together in a braid. 

September 20, 2023

‘The Office’ Star Rainn Wilson Brought Jerk Chicken Tacos to the Picket Lines Outside of Paramount Studios

In three hours, D's Tipsy Tacos and her team passed out “roughly 100 plates” of tacos, burritos, rice, beans, nachos, and quesadillas to striking screenwriters and actors.

September 19, 2023

Five Common Plants to Avoid When Creating Your Green Spaces in L.A.

Almost every time I visit a property with landscaping issues, the problem starts with bad design: the wrong plants in the wrong place. Here's advice from a third-generation L.A. landscaper and noted taco expert.

September 19, 2023
See all posts