OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 5:25 PM – Friday, March 10, 2023
The Department of Justice has reported on Thursday that three Mexican nationals were detained in El Monte for allegedly carrying a million fentanyl tablets.
According to the arrest affidavit, on Tuesday, 28-year-old Florencio Camacho Allan, 29-year-old Gerardo Gaixola-Patino, and 25-year-old Alex Valdez Oroz met with two buyers at a Denny’s restaurant in El Segundo to discuss selling 10,000 fentanyl pills, followed by a sale for one million pills.
Prosecutors alleged that Allan and Gaixola-Patino left the meeting and went to the parking area where they sold the buyers 10,000 fentanyl pills for $7,500. The suspects then departed the eatery while being watched by law enforcement.
Later that day, Allan allegedly confirmed that his group was keen in carrying out a sale for one million pills and demonstrated his Volkswagen Jetta’s trunk full of pills to one of the buyers through a WhatsApp video conversation.
On Wednesday morning, as they planned to purchase the drugs, investigators conducted ground and overhead surveillance on the Jetta. The Sinaloa, Mexico natives were then detained by investigators at an El Monte Holiday Hotel, and the drugs in the Jetta were seized.
Allan, Gaixola-Patino and Oroz face charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted, they would face life in prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has said that they are investigating the arrests as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program with Homeland Security Investigations, the Hawthorne Police Department, the Fullerton Police Department, the El Monte Police Department, and the California National Guard are providing assistance.
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