Drug Agents Make 2 Arrests in Alleged Money Laundering

Federal agents have arrested Victor Robin Wright of Orange and Maria Perez of Los Angeles in connection with an alleged drug-money laundering operation based in Orange County, authorities said Monday.

Also charged in a 12-count indictment handed down Friday were three others, including Raul Arguello-Zarate, a Mexican citizen now jailed in Mexico City, who allegedly controlled a drug empire that earned him up to $800,000 a week, Assistant U.S. Atty. Janet C. Hudson said Monday.

Also indicted but still at large were Ross Holly, 31, of Irvine and Samuel Zermeno, 46, of Calexico.

Arguello-Zarate is charged with heading a network of couriers in Southern California through his and Wright’s Select-A-Page business in Orange. Couriers would smuggle large amounts of U.S. currency into Mexico, Hudson alleged.

Calls Monday to Select-A-Page prompted only a recorded message from a person identifying himself as “Victor.”

“I’m always in the field, so you have to leave me a message, and I’ll get paged and I’ll respond to your call as soon as I can. Thank you,” the tape-recording said.

Arguello-Zarate also is suspected of furnishing radio-communications equipment to assist drug smugglers and providing aerial maps for drug shipments between Colombia and the United States, the indictment said.

The indictments, subsequent arrests and seizure of about $3 million were the result of a 2 1/2-year investigation by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Included in the investigation were officers from U.S. Customs, the California State Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service.

Arguello-Zarate of Mexicali was arrested by Mexican federal police along with 14 others on charges stemming from a international drug and arms trafficking ring in July, 1987. Twelve suspects were Mexican citizens and two were Colombians.

A statement issued from the Mexican attorney general’s office said at the time of his arrest that Arguello-Zarate controlled a drug empire that earned him an estimated $200,000 to $800,000 a week.

According to the indictment, Wright, 36, is suspected of making pickups of money to be laundered. It said he used his home in the 2500 block of Orange Olive Road in Orange as a drop-off and collection site for receiving U.S. currency from other couriers.

At times, as much as $480,000 was funneled through the money-laundering operation in one day, the indictment alleged.

Perez, 40, a suspected courier, attempted to transport $205,965 from the United States into Mexico on May 20, 1987, according to the indictment.

Zermeno, another suspected courier, allegedly drove to various Southern California locations on Jan. 23, 1987, stopping from “time to time” to make telephone calls and meet different people, the indictment said. He had in his possession about $523,000 in U.S. currency.

On July 18, 1986, Holly, who allegedly assisted drug-trafficking organizations by setting up communications systems, also went to Wright’s home in Orange and picked up $480,000, which he later tried to transport into Mexico, the indictment said.

Wright and Perez were arraigned before a federal magistrate Friday.

If convicted, the defendants could be fined $1 million each and imprisoned for 20 years, federal authorities said.