14 Charged with Participating in Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy

            Fourteen individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute, and possession with intent to distribute, fentanyl, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.  Those charged in the indictment are:

            Manuel Emilio Delacruz-Diaz, 41, of Lawrence, MA

            Francisco Valdez-Aybar, 36, of Lawrence, MA

            Santo Luis Araujo-Guerrero, 48, of Lawrence, MA

            Edwin Flores, 41, of Lawrence, MA

            Ramon Jacquez-Diaz, 50, of Methuen, MA

            Ambiory Monegro-Reynoso, 51, of Methuen, MA

            Wandy Rosario, 29, of Methuen, MA

            Maribel Benjamin, 57, of Lawrence, MA

            Vivian Last Name Unknown (“LNU”) of Lawrence, MA

            Carlos Patricio Ozuna Gonzalez, 39, of Lawrence, MA

            Victor Tejada-Gonzalez, 30, of Connecticut

            Mikael Canario-Batista, 45, of Lawrence, MA

            Estiviz Estepan-Ortiz, 37, unknown residence

            Danaury Espinal-Lara, 40, unknown residence

            Of those charged, Delacruz-Diaz, Valdez-Aybar, Araujo-Guerrero, Jacquez-Diaz, Monegro-Reynoso, Rosario, Benjamin, and Gonzalez were arrested during a coordinated law enforcement action on Wednesday.   Tejada-Gonzalez and Canario-Batista were already in custody on other charges.  Espinal-Lara, Estepan-Ortiz, Flores and Vivian LNU have not yet been taken into custody.  Those arrested appeared before a magistrate judge on Wednesday. 5 of those arrested were ordered detained pending further proceedings.

            This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Massachusetts State Police, the Methuen Police Department, the Lawrence Police Department, and the Nashua Police Department.

            The charges in the indictment are only allegations.  The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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