SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The FBI and other federal agencies worked with Sacramento authorities to expose an alleged drug trafficking operation involving La Victoria Supermercado, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Two of the men recently indicted on charges related to cocaine distribution are from the Sacramento area. One of them was identified as 54-year-old Jose Manuel Chavez Zepeda.
With the help of a confidential source, the FBI said Chavez and 37-year-old Denis Zacarias Ponce Castillo sold the confidential source half a kilogram of cocaine in Sacramento.
Chavez referred to Ponce as his "stash pad" manager, the joint investigation showed. Authorities said Chavez was about to use his supermarket business La Victoria Supermercado to launder money from drug sales. He would meet with drug trafficking partners at his supermarket, the confidential source told the FBI. The confidential source also indicated that drug trafficking associates met at the market during store hours.
"When the (confidential source) arrived at the Market, Chavez was exchanging checks for a long line of customers. The (confidential source) has to wait a while to talk to Chavez," according to the criminal complaint.
The Cartel Connection
Federal investigators said in their criminal complaint that the laundered money is believed to be going to affiliates in Mexico.
Court documents show Chavez was sourcing cocaine by the kilograms from Mexico in connection with Cartel Jalisco Nuevo Generación (CJNG). Cocaine would be delivered to the confidential source with the "NG" (Nuevo Generación) stamped on it.
The CJNG cartel formed in 2009 and is infamous for being one of the most brutally violent in Mexico. It was designated by the U.S. Department of Justice as one of the five most dangerous criminal organizations in the world.
Indicted for distribution of cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, both Chavez and Ponce face a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
Other agencies involved in the investigation include the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations and the Sacramento Area Intelligence/Narcotics Task Force.
