PITTSBURGH (EYT)– Ten people from Arizona, Ohio, Washington, and Mexico, including a member of the Cártel de Sinaloa and one person living in the United States illegally, pleaded guilty in federal court this week to drug trafficking and money laundering charges, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti.
The charges stemmed from their involvement in an international drug trafficking organization, Rivetti said. The defendants were among 35 people charged in a second superseding indictment unsealed in January 2024, for their participation in a domestic and international narcotics and money laundering conspiracy involving substantial quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
Those pleading guilty this week before U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan were:
- Humberto Arredondo-Soto, 25, of Culiacan, Mexico, pleaded guilty April 21.
- Jaime Ledesma, 27, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty April 21.
- Stephanie Ortiz, 26, of Avondale, Arizona, pleaded guilty April 21.
- Samuel Aguirre, 23, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty April 22.
- Jesus Lopez, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty April 22.
- Diego Monarrez, 23, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty April 22.
- Adrian Lopez Rivera, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty April 22.
- Donnell Collins, 29, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty April 23.
- Luis Fentanes, 24, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty April 23.
- Mohamed Kariye, 36, of Kent, Washington, pleaded guilty April 23.
Prosecutors said that from August 2021 to June 2023, the defendants conspired to possess with intent to distribute and distribute large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
Arredondo-Soto, Ledesma (who was residing in Phoenix illegally), Ortiz, Aguirre, Lopez, Rivera, and Monarrez each conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, prosecutors said. All but Monarrez also conspired to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.
From August 2021 to March 2023, Collins and Fentanes conspired to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine, prosecutors said. Collins also possessed with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine on March 2, 2023, and Kariye conspired to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Authorities intercepted the defendants on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of drugs that they distributed to others.
Prosecutors also said that from April 2022 to March 2023, Aguirre conspired to commit money laundering, packaging drug proceeds and delivering large amounts of U.S. currency to couriers to smuggle into Mexico to pay for re-supplies of drugs.
Arredondo-Soto, a Mexican national with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, was the source of supply for the drug trafficking organization and was responsible for trafficking millions of fentanyl pills and hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine that the organization distributed, prosecutors said. Numerous military-grade firearms were trafficked into Mexico for Arredondo-Soto as payment from members of the organization for the drugs.
Arredondo-Soto was arrested in Mexico in August 2023 by Mexican law enforcement authorities and extradited to the United States in February 2024, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations.
Judge Ranjan scheduled sentencings for November 3-5, 2025. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $10 million, or both, except for Kariye, whose maximum sentence is not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, or both. The actual sentence imposed under federal sentencing guidelines will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of each defendant.
With this week’s 10 guilty pleas, 19 of the 35 defendants charged in the second superseding indictment have now pleaded guilty in the case, and six defendants have been sentenced. Mark Camacho, 26, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced this week to 57 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Tonya S. Goodman are prosecuting the case.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, and other local law enforcement agencies also participated in the investigation.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure Arredondo-Soto’s arrest and extradition.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Justice Department initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combat illegal immigration, and protect communities from violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
