12 arrested in Chandler drug smuggling ring

BrieAnna J. Frank | The Republic | azcentral.com

Chandler police on Monday said 12 people have been arrested in connection with a drug trafficking ring that brought illicit drugs from the Mexican border into the Valley.

The investigation started in May 2017 when the Chandler Police Department's narcotics unit identified an organization that was transporting, packaging and selling drugs from an area near the Mexican border, the department said.

Throughout the investigation, detectives seized 2 pounds of heroin and methamphetamine, quantities of cocaine, marijuana and fentanyl, and seven firearms, police said.

Officials identified 12 individuals believed to be connected to the ring and arrested them July 24, the department said.

Chandler police identified the suspects as: Guadalupe Larranaga, 37; Francisco Javier-Lopez, 37; Rodolfo Gaxiola-Vega, 26; Diego Vela-Valenzuela, 32; Gaspar Lopez-Felix, 32; Ray Villa, 57; Jesus Gonzales, 47; Vanessa Romero, 33; Jesse Raley, 39; Anna Larranaga, 37; Clarissa Moreno, 46; Marisela Chavez-Borbon, 26.

They were booked into the Maricopa County Jail on charges of illegal control of an enterprise, money laundering, conspiracy to commit possession of narcotic drugs and selling dangerous drugs.

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