3 Accused in Cocaine Ring Plead Innocent
Two men and a woman believed part of a Mexican cocaine distribution ring have pleaded innocent to felony drug charges in Superior Court.
A fourth suspect is scheduled to be arraigned today.
All four were arrested Feb. 8 in a Van Nuys apartment, where police said they seized three kilograms of cocaine.
Undercover agents began buying the drug from small-time Ventura County dealers about a week before the arrest and worked their way up the distribution chain to the Van Nuys apartment, police said.
“It was a pretty efficient operation,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Steve McLaughlin.
McLaughlin said the four suspects supplied the three kilograms of cocaine on one-day notice.
The four Los Angeles County residents were indicted by a Ventura County grand jury Feb. 27 on charges of drug sales and distribution, offering to sell and possession for sale of cocaine.
Rosalva Gutierrez, 37, Jose Angel Salas, 42, Fabian Ortega, 25, and Raul Juarez Cota, 38, remained in jail Wednesday in lieu of $500,000 bail each.
All the suspects but Salas are scheduled to go to trial April 10. Salas is scheduled to be arraigned today.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
