Medical Doctor Plus Eight Others Indicted for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering

PHOENIX, Ariz. – On September 28, 2022, a grand jury in Phoenix, Arizona returned a 34-count indictment against nine individuals, including:

• Yvette Porras-Ochoa, 40, of Wittmann, Arizona
• Ricardo Ochoa, 41, of Mesa, Arizona
• Kourtney Moore, 40, of Akron, Ohio
• George Martinez-Aviles, M.D., 55, of Peoria, Arizona
• Vanessa Quijada, 36, of Phoenix, Arizona
• Josefina Thomas, 57, of Glendale, Arizona
• Angel Borunda, 26, of Odessa, Texas
• Ibis Efren Miranda Hernandez, 43, of Peoria, Arizona
• Kristel Pimentel, 37, of Buckeye, Arizona

A 2021 investigation revealed that Martinez-Aviles, M.D., Porras-Ochoa, Ochoa, Moore, Quijada, Thomas, and Pimentel, each conspired to distribute oxycodone knowingly and intentionally, and to distribute promethazine-codeine outside the scope of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. Furthermore, Porras-Ochoa, Moore, Ochoa, and Borunda each face additional charges for conspiring to distribute cocaine for profit. Lastly, Moore also faces additional charges for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Six of the defendants were also charged with related money-laundering offenses.

Over the course of this investigation, law enforcement officers seized cocaine, marijuana, oxycodone, promethazine-codeine, and counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. 

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation with significant contributions from Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the United States Marshals Service, the Phoenix Police Department, the Surprise Police Department, the Peoria Police Department, the Glendale Police Department, and the Goodyear Police Department. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-22-1265-PHX-SPL
RELEASE NUMBER:    2022-199_Porras-Ochoa, et al

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

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