Puente 13 members tied to meth ring by Feds

The feds are rounding up Puente 13 members in connection with a methamphetamine distribution ring, according to the FBI.

Already arrested are:

John Antonio Dacosta, 28, Steven Mark Mancha, 34, Ernest George Mancha, 34, and Lenny Robert Casas, 18, all of Whittier; Lorraine Christina Lopez, 34, Josue Deloen, 26, Rene Valdez, 39, Rafael Munoz Gonzalez, 38,
Steven Burgan, 25, Noel Gonzalez, 56, Noel Gonzalez III, 35, Michael Anthony Ortega, 35, Henry Collao, 20, and Joventino Garcia III, 18, all of La Puente; Andy Villa, 27, of Glendora; Hoia Thanh Nguyen, 32, of El Monte; Wayne Arthur Goik, 59, of West Covina; and Antonio Torres, 20, of Phoenix, who was arrested
in Arizona.

From the wire services and an FBI Press Release:

Last December, the Sheriffs Department created a task force along with the U.S. Attorneys
Office, DEA and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, to
investigate the drug and firearms trafficking operations of Puente 13, prosecutors
said.

Puente 13 distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, a portion of which was produced
locally in clandestine laboratories, prosecutors said.

Puente 13 members also allegedly sold cocaine, marijuana and oxycodine in Los Angeles,
Seattle, Arizona, Alaska and North Carolina.

Authorities executed 35 federal search warrants, which yielded one pound of suspected
methamphetamine, 20 pounds of marijuana and 16 firearms, prosecutors said.

Todays arrests will severely disrupt firearms and methamphetamine trafficking operations
in the San Gabriel Valley, said DEA Special Agent Timothy Landrum in a
statement.

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7 thoughts on “Puente 13 members tied to meth ring by Feds

  1. Where’s the story on the 2 attacks at Cal Poly Pomona yesterday? Any links?

  2. What a shock a sureno gang involved in drug trafficking. I hope they are not going to seek a gang injunction against the Puente-13 gang and violate their rights.

    I wonder if the Puente-13 gang will get richo rewards, oops RICO, RICO, RICO

  3. FX,
    The SGV reported that the P-13 gang has over 600 members, some divided alliances and a history of crime in the area that extends over 40 years.

    You’re right, the most obvious response to these facts is to prohibit these guys from hanging out at a park after 10pm.

    You have a keen law enforcement mind!

  4. usagain,

    The gang injunctions generally include association with one another not just at a specifc location. I see you also have “keen” knowledge of gang injunctions.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_injunction

    In 1997, the case of People ex rel Gallo v Carlos Acuna [1] challenged the constitutionality of gang injunctions. Lower courts had held that provisions disallowing gang members to associate with one another violated their first amendment right to free assembly. However, the Supreme Court of California upheld the constitutionality of the use of gang injunctions, finding that gang activity fell under the definition of a public nuisance.

  5. FX,

    You seem to have a keen sense for cherry-picking data, as the remainder of the paragraph you quoted goes on to say,
    “Nonetheless, a dissenting opinion authored by Justice Stanley Mosk warned that “The majority would permit our cities to close off entire neighborhoods to Latino youths who have done nothing more than dress in blue or black clothing or associate with others who do so; they would authorize criminal penalties for ordinary, nondisruptive acts of walking or driving through a residential neighborhood with a relative or a friend.”

    By the way, my comment above wasn’t meant to challenge the legality of gang injunctions, rather it was an attempt to point out the futility and ineffectiveness of injunctions, as the gang problem is generational, structural, institutional and complex.

    The fact you don’t see the humor in my comment means perhaps the issue is to nuanced for some observers.

  6. The fact that some didn’t see the humor in my FIRST comment, is also an example of some observers lack of a nuanced sense of humor. I may resort to using lol, to enlighten the low-wattage incandescent among is.

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