Murder Plot in Drug Ring Alleged

In a move authorities say has slowed the flow of a dangerous designer drug into Orange County, two alleged lieutenants of an organized crime group that dominates the Ecstasy trade were charged Friday in what they called a plot to murder an apparent leader of the group.

The pair--including the intended target’s common-law wife--tried to hire a “hit man” to kill Westminster businessman Viet Quoc “Joe” Tran, according to court documents. In a separate case, a third suspect linked to the same group is accused of mailing a gun silencer from Houston to a police informant in California.

Authorities said all three are high-ranking members of a syndicate called “the Organization.” The group allegedly specializes in the sale of drugs as well as firearms smuggled from Canada down the West Coast of the United States and along the Southern states, using Orange County as a major transportation hub.

Prosecutors claim that the group also cornered as much as 90% of the county’s Ecstasy market. But they believe the arrests have crippled the local operation, meaning less Ecstasy available on the street. “The arrests . . . effectively dismantled what we believe is the largest Ecstasy distribution ring in Orange County today,” Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas said.

The crackdown, he added, “will significantly disrupt the sales of narcotics” in several regions, including Houston and Orange County.

In recent years, demand for Ecstasy has surged in Orange County, and the designer drug is fast becoming one of the most popular illicit drugs among young people, said Mike Clesceri, assistant chief of investigations for the district attorney. It’s perhaps most favored at “rave” dance parties.

The bust follows six months of undercover work by a local task force of gang investigators who infiltrated the group. Officials said investigators were forced to move against the suspects before the end of the operation when they learned of the plot to kill Tran.

Two suspects, Truong Duy Nguyen and Tran’s wife, Lan My Trieu, face charges of conspiracy to commit murder. A third suspect, Loc Huu Bui, was charged with aiding and abetting the possession of a silencer.

But prosecutors said they are still building drug cases against those three and against other alleged members of the group, including its Portland, Ore.-based kingpin.

“We want to send a message to these individuals and other . . . gang members that we will not tolerate your violent, predatory behavior,” said Rackauckas.

Officials said the conspiracy to kill Tran developed after members of his group decided to take over his substantial Ecstasy sales network. Tran allegedly oversaw distribution of about 40,000 tablets a month in Orange County and 50,000 in Houston.

Investigators said they have insufficient evidence to arrest Tran on drug charges. But they continue to monitor the businessman’s activities and said they expect to move against him soon. Reached at home, Tran declined to comment on the allegations.

Tran was only one of many alleged drug dealers targeted in Operation Broadside, a massive investigation launched by the county’s Regional Gang Enforcement Team. The multi-agency task force was created last year to strike against mobile gangs whose activities cross police jurisdictions.

In July, investigators arrested a woman near Indio named Cuc Le, another alleged leader of the group, and seized 13,000 Ecstasy tablets. The pills were allegedly being transported from Orange County to Houston.

Hoping to make more drug arrests, investigators said they were forced to alter plans when they learned of the murder plot against Tran.

In June, Nguyen, 28, approached a law enforcement “operative” agent posing as a hit man. Nguyen allegedly asked the operative to kill the businessman for $35,000, according to court documents filed by prosecutors. Nguyen allegedly told the operative, “I will give an address and picture so you can identify him.”

Two days later, Nguyen told a second operative that Tran’s 37-year-old wife was involved in the plot, the documents said. Nguyen allegedly said Trieu “wants to split the profits to [kill] him,” and added that she “put the money out to kill him.”

At a court hearing Friday afternoon, attorneys for the three suspects declined to comment on the charges. Orange County Judge James A. Stotler set bail at $500,000 for Nguyen and Trieu and $50,000 for Bui, 28. The three are scheduled to be arraigned this month.