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 
[email protected].

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 
Smugglers flew methamphetamine, fentanyl out of Palm Springs, 
feds say

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210740918.html