On September 17, Mariano Gomez Padilla, 28; Eduardo Garcia Lopez, 21; and Abel Martinez Valenzuela, 25, all Mexican nationals living in Arizona, were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to the complaint, on September 17, Drug Enforcement Administration East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force officers set up surveillance at an apartment complex in Glendale in anticipation of a methamphetamine drug transaction. Agents followed Gomez Padilla and Garcia Lopez as they traveled to another location in Glendale.
During the journey, investigators attempted to halt the suspects’ automobiles, but neither driver yielded. Instead, Garcia Lopez got out of his car and fled but was arrested after a brief foot chase.
Gomez Padilla likewise failed to yield to law enforcement, instead ramming his vehicle into one of the agent’s automobiles and two other vehicles parked on the street, causing severe damage. Shortly after, Gomez Padilla and Martinez Valenzuela, who was riding as a passenger in Gomez Padilla’s vehicle, were captured while attempting to leave on foot.
Agents investigated the vehicles and discovered roughly 61.75 pounds of methamphetamine in the car Garcia Lopez was driving. Agents subsequently examined a nearby Ford F-250 related to the case, which had an additional 71.75 pounds of methamphetamine packed identically to the contraband discovered in Garcia Lopez’s vehicle.
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that mobilizes the Department of Justice’s full resources to combat the invasion of illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from violent criminals.
Operation Take Back America combines actions and resources from the department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA and the Mesa Police Department investigated this case. Stuart Zander, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Arizona in Phoenix, is in charge of the prosecution.
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