Feb 28, 2008 12:33 am US/Pacific
12 Arrested As FBI Targets Bay Area Meth Ring
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
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FBI agents arrest a suspect in an alleged methamphetamine ring in San Jose.
CBS
A dozen people were in custody Wednesday after federal law-enforcement targeting a methamphetamine distribution ring raided locations throughout the Bay Area.
The Federal Burea of Investigation said about 200 officers served 10 search warrants and 14 arrest warrants Wednesday in San Francisco, San Jose and Gilroy.
Officers seized more than six pounds of pure methamphetamine and $45,000 in cash, U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello said.
Twelve of the indicted suspects were arrested, two more remained fugitives - including one believed to be in Mexico.
Eleven of those arrested appeared later Wednesday in handcuffs in San Francisco federal court for arraignment. They included: Guillermo Zaragoza, 25; Eduardo Zaragoza, 24; Martin Zaragoza, 43; Manuel Contreras, 51; Martel Valencia, 34; Angelica Rodriguez, 33; Paul Kozina, 37; and Irma Corona, 44, all of San Jose; Juan Zaragoza, 30, of Stockton; David Weld, 33, of San Francisco; and David Quezada, 33, of Gilroy.
Those nine men and two women pleaded not guilty to meth conspiracy and distribution charges before U.S. Magistrate Edward Chen. They will all remain in custody until detention hearings set for next week.
Many of those charges carry life sentences, if the accused are convicted and get the maximum.
FBI agent Joseph Schadler said another defendant named in the indictment was in custody but did not appear in court Wednesday. That defendant, Lorenzo Carbajal, 46, of San Jose, is already incarcerated in state prison.
Two other defendants remained at large: Roberto Zaragoza Ruiz, 29, of San Jose, and Richard Parodi, 32, of San Francisco, according to Schadler.
Authorities said Wednesday's raids were part of a two-year investigation of a distribution ring that was capable of distributing up to 20 pounds of methamphetamine a month.
Schadler described the meth operation as "a family-run organization."
"A lot of (the defendants) are related. It's definitely a family organization. This is a major distribution ring," he said.
The raids were conducted by San Francisco and San Jose police, FBI agents, the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and a San Mateo County narcotics task force.
Authorities executed warrants at seven homes in San Jose as well as at two homes in San Francisco and one in Gilroy, Schadler said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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