Arrests Target Major Drug Ring

The alleged ringleader of a Mexico-based drug ring accused of bringing millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and heroin into the United States was arrested along with 21 other suspected drug dealers Tuesday, authorities said.

Salvador Mendoza, 32, the owner of a used-car dealership in Montclair, faces numerous counts of federal and state drug violations, said Orlando Lopez, program manager of the Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force, a group of law enforcement agencies that targets major drug traffickers.

Mendoza’s brothers Arnulfo, Indalecio and Natael and their cousin Ruben were also arrested at their homes in Riverside and Norco on Tuesday.

The arrests conclude an investigation that began with a routine traffic stop in Kimble County, Texas, in October 2003. Authorities there seized $2.2 million in cash that was stashed in a compartment underneath a Ford pickup driven by a unidentified man, Lopez said.

“We can only assume that he was on his way to Mexico,” Lopez said.

During that investigation, authorities obtained a phone number that led to numerous wiretaps of telephones used by Salvador Mendoza, who has a home in Norco, and his associates.

“We found out that Salvador Mendoza and a few of his brothers were the head of this,” Lopez said.

“They were basically coordinating the movement of large amounts of drugs from Mexico throughout the United States. You’re talking a huge operation here.”

Since its inception last year, the investigation, Operation Money Clip, has resulted in 83 arrests nationwide. Officials have seized $4.4 million in U.S. currency, 56,000 pounds of cocaine, 74 pounds of “ICE” methamphetamine, close to 40,000 pounds of marijuana and 2 pounds of heroin.

“We have the heads operating here in the United States, but we’re still trying to identify what cartel they work with in Mexico,” Lopez said.

Operation Money Clip was a joint effort of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.