Local News in Brief : 7 Charged With Selling Cocaine
Seven people have been indicted on charges that they distributed millions of dollars worth of cocaine from Torrance, Cerritos and Hawaiian Gardens.
Six of the seven were arrested Sept. 7, when investigators seized $1.1 million in cash, several firearms and about 82 pounds of cocaine with a street value of $4 million, Assistant U.S. Atty. Enrique Romero said. The seventh defendant is still being sought.
The federal grand jury indictment charges them with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine, conspiracy to launder drug proceeds and possession with the intent to distribute 363 pounds of cocaine.
According to the indictment, Julio Cezar Balmaceda, 22, rented a Torrance house to store the proceeds and supplied several of the others with electronic pagers and cellular phones so that they could communicate about their drug dealings, the indictment said.
Also indicted were Manuel Alfredo Suastegui, 34, of Roselle, N.J.; Anthony Ruiz del Vizo, 50, of Torrance; Hector Martin Ramos, 20, and his wife, Denise Ann Ramos, 22, of Hawaiian Gardens; Manuel Aguirre Ibarra of Cerritos, and Arnaldo Cordoba Zaizar, 51, of Hawaiian Gardens.
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