Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS. : COURTS : Eight Accused of Aiding Traffickers in Cocaine

Authorities alleged that a loan officer at a bank in Santa Ana and seven other people provided support services or were connected with major Colombian cocaine traffickers operating in the Los Angeles area.

As a result, all eight were indicted by a federal grand jury.

Bank of America loan executive Gladys Ayala, 47, of Irvine, and Waldyr Antonio Pizzotti, 52, and Anibal Michael Justo, 53, both of Villa Park, were charged in a 12-count indictment with conspiring to defraud the government by assisting drug traffickers in laundering their profits through Orange County banks.

The grand jury also returned a 12-count indictment against five other individuals: George Humberto Bosch, 57, of Glendale, and his son, George Robert Bosch, 29, of Fontana, owners of the Public Advice and Advise Service, a private investigation agency in Glendale, and three Colombian nationals, Efrain Santana, 39, Elkin Estrada-Gallego, 43, and Ampara Garay.

The indictment alleged that Pizzotti, who is employed at a health-care institute in Santa Ana, and Ayala “organized and operated a scheme” to launder cash generated by drug trafficking.

Prosecutors claim that as late as 1984 people associated with the drug trafficking were filing false currency transaction reports.

The reports must be filed by individuals depositing more than $10,000 in a bank, listing their names, addresses and other vital information. The information is forwarded to the Internal Revenue Service.

The forms are used by government watchdog agencies to guard against money laundering, where cash generated by illegal activities is deposited into legitimate accounts to camouflage its source.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Brian A. Sun said that about $400,000 in drug money was laundered in the immediate case but that much more could be involved.