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The defendants charged anywhere from $80 to
$150 for one set of documents. Moreno-Velasquez
and Ramirez-Zazueta also delivered fraudulent
identification documents to customers and other
co-conspirators.
Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI San Francisco
“HSI aggressively targets criminals who illegally
create and distribute fake ID’s,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI San Francisco.
“This nefarious activity opens a dangerous path for
those wishing to cause harm to our country and
wreak havoc on the lives of innocent identity theft
victims.”
The charge of transferring false identification documents or possessing document-making implements
carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and
a $250,000 fine. Additionally, Moreno-Velasquez,
Perez-Vasquez, Hidalgo-Flores, Ramirez-Zazueta,
and Vasquez-Velasquez face a possible penalty of
up to 10 years in prison if convicted of fraud and
misuse of alien registration receipt cards. Finally, all
six defendants face an additional maximum penalty
of five years in prison if convicted of the conspiracy
charge.
July-Aug 2016 Edition
Drug Ring Used ‘Body Carriers’ to
Smuggle Narcotics thru Port
In addition to the arrests, federal investigators also seized
seven firearms during the two-day operation, which involved
warranted searches at four locations, including sites in Brawley and Calipatria.
Eleven defendants have been indicted on drug trafficking and firearms charges for their role in a farreaching scheme based in the Imperial Valley that
used body carriers to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into the U.S. through the Calexico Port
of Entry.
The indictments, handed down earlier this week,
are the result of a yearlong probe spearheaded
by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s
(ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The 11 defendants were taken into custody during enforcement actions Wednesday and Thursday
throughout the Imperial Valley. In addition to the arrests, federal investigators also seized seven firearms during the two-day operation, which involved
warranted searches at four locations, including
sites in Brawley and Calipatria. Many of the search
locations were private homes where the drugs and
firearms were stored and sold.
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