Six Indicted by U.S.; Drug Ring Alleged

Six Orange County residents, who already are in jail on state narcotics charges, were named Wednesday in a federal indictment alleging that they were part of a drug ring that stretched from Orange County to Florida, Panama and Colombia.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Susan Bryant-Deason said authorities Wednesday seized more than 40 pounds of cocaine and business ledgers indicating multimillion-dollar drug deals had been transacted. She said more arrests are expected.

An estimated $1 million in unspecified property was also seized Wednesday in connection with the case.

The seizures took place at undisclosed locations in Orange County and Florida.

The indictment returned in Los Angeles alleges that the six conspired between November, 1979, and last October to distribute cocaine by renting various apartments in Orange County, in addition to their residences, to elude authorities.

Mobile Phones Used

The six also used telephone paging devices and mobile telephones to avoid detection, Bryant-Deason said.

Named in the indictment were Abraham Ernesto Rojas, 50; Ernesto Ivan Rojas, 30; Maria Victoria Restrepo, 29; Wilfredo Gerardo Martinez, 31, and Liliana Gorosito, 31, all of Anaheim Hills, and Juan Jose Restrepo, 32, of Placentia.

Abraham Ernesto Rojas, Ernesto Ivan Rojas and Juan Jose Restrepo are awaiting trial in Orange County Jail on related drug charges, Bryant-Deason said.

The rest are in state prison convicted on cocaine charges, she added.

The federal charges were sought after agents for the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Customs Service and other law enforcement agencies discovered that the state charges had international implications.

“The case just kept growing and growing,” Bryant-Deason said, “so we asked the federal grand jury to look into it.”

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 100 years in prison and a fine of $1.25 million.