Southern California Authorities Seize 50 Pounds of Fentanyl; Three Suspects Charged with Felonies

On March 11, authorities in Los Angeles County revealed a significant drug bust that led to the arrest of three individuals and the confiscation of 50 pounds of fentanyl.

This fentanyl seizure surpasses the total amount taken at the U.S.-Canadian border during the previous year, as stated by District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Of the three individuals arrested, two were released back into the community on Wednesday without needing to post bond, according to inmate records.

Local law enforcement in Downey, located approximately 16 miles south of Los Angeles, collaborated with a state and county fentanyl task force in the course of the investigation.

“To claim that this investigation has saved thousands of lives would be an understatement,” said Downey Police Chief Scott Lougher during a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, where he was accompanied by Attorney General Rob Bonta and Hochman.

The three individuals arrested on March 5 in Downey include Pricilla Gomez, 43, from Torrance; her brother Gustavo Omar Gomez, 47, from Huntington Park; and Carlos Manuel Mariscal, 38, also from Huntington Park.

Pricilla Gomez, who was in federal custody as of Tuesday, faces three charges of possession with intent to sell a controlled substance and one charge of selling, transporting, or offering to sell a controlled substance. If found guilty, she might face a maximum prison term of 28 years and eight months.

Gustavo Gomez has been charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance intended for sale and is facing a maximum of 24 years in prison.

Mariscal is facing two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, one count of possessing a firearm silencer, and one count of illegal ammunition possession as a previously convicted felon, with a potential sentence of 38 years and eight months.

Both Gustavo Gomez and Mariscal were released without needing to post bond, as per inmate records.

Attorney General Bonta noted that local police and the state’s fentanyl task force had received credible information regarding Pricilla Gomez’s alleged role as an illegal drug courier.

On January 22, Downey police stopped her for having tinted windows and discovered a kilogram of fentanyl in her car, officials reported.

She subsequently led officers to an apartment where they encountered Gustavo Gomez and Mariscal.

“She admitted to possessing some drugs, and a K-9 unit was activated during the stop,” the attorney general indicated.

Law enforcement then executed a search warrant at the apartment, uncovering drugs as well as items, symbols, and insignias linked to a Mexican crime cartel.

Authorities seized 50 pounds of fentanyl, 11 pounds of heroin, and over 2 pounds of cocaine during the operation.

“This is our largest bust this year,” Bonta stated. “This fentanyl would have eventually been turned into pills.”

The drug precursors, which typically come from China and are routed through Mexico before entering the U.S., are used to manufacture counterfeit OxyContin, Xanax, Percocet, among other drugs, according to Hochman.

“I refer to them as fentanyl poisoners; the purpose of fentanyl is no longer about getting high—it’s about killing,” Hochman remarked. “They are easily accessible to children online.”

Hochman estimated that an average of six to seven homeless individuals die each day in Los Angeles County due to fentanyl overdoses.

He referred to the pills as “essentially silent assassins.”

The district attorney’s office is set to handle the prosecution in Los Angeles, as confirmed by the district attorney.

The three defendants attended their initial court hearing on Tuesday.

As confirmed by the district attorney’s office, Gustavo Gomez and Mariscal have preliminary hearings scheduled for April 16 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.