Drug traffickers flew meth and fentanyl out of Palm Springs, LAX for years, feds say
Federal prosecutors have charged 17 people with taking part in in a drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy that included flying methamphetamine and heroin out of Palm Springs International Airport in checked luggage.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. attorney's office in the Orlando area, where authorities say the conspiracy was based and the drugs were sold. Prosecutors announced the charges Thursday, following a six-year joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the IRS and other agencies.
According to court records, the drug trafficking organization was centered in Lake County, Florida, with sources of supply or distributors in California, Texas, the eastern United States and China.
The organization operated largely through the use of couriers who fly to California from Florida with large sums of cash to purchase drugs and transport them in checked luggage back to Florida. These flights were typically between Orlando and Palm Springs or Los Angeles. Flight records during a two-year period show more than 350 flights between California and Orlando.
Since at least 2017, prosecutors say, the organization trafficked thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl via commercial planes, trains, and the mail. So far, the DEA has seized more than 250 pounds of drugs — mostly methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The defendants, whose ages range from 25 to 65, are believed to have played various roles in the organization, such as suppliers, distributors, couriers, and courier coordinators. Most are from Florida. Two are from California, though prosecutors didn't say where: 33-year-old Jose Ivan Carbajal and 32-year-old Diego Navarro-Martinez.
In addition to transporting drugs on commercial flights and trains, the organization allegedly had multiple stash houses and received hundreds of mailed packages of methamphetamine from California and other drugs, including fentanyl, from China.
The source of supply in California would ship packages containing anywhere from one pound to 10 or more pounds of methamphetamine at a time. Investigators say they have identified almost 400 packages that were shipped from California as part of this conspiracy from 2021 to 2023.
Andrew John is a reporter in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Smugglers flew methamphetamine, fentanyl out of Palm Springs, feds say
