Agents Close Three Southland Meth Labs

Federal agents closed three Southern California meth labs and arrested five people Tuesday after an eight-month investigation into a major drug ring that investigators said distributed large quantities of methamphetamine throughout the United States.

Special Agent Kumar Kibble, who heads the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Orange County, said the ring was headed by Jose Anguiano-Barragan, who allegedly operated a lab in his home in the 1300 block of South Loara Street in Anaheim, two blocks from a school and a park.

Agents seized more than $240,000 in cash from Anguiano-Barragan’s residence, Kibble said. The suspect’s wife, Rosalinda Cuevas, was arrested on state charges of child endangerment, and their three children were taken into protective custody, Kibble said. The couple are living illegally in the U.S., and Anguiano-Barragan, 37, had been deported once before, Kibble said.

Labs also were dismantled in Riverside and Santa Ana, ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said. Anguiano-Barragan, Daniel Contreras, 24, of Orange and Ricardo Sarco-Sanchez, 22, of Riverside were indicted by a federal grand jury last week. Jose Crisofono Valencia-Rios, 38, of Anaheim and Pedro Sanchez, 23, of Riverside also were arrested Tuesday on federal drug charges.

The probe began in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where agents learned that the Orange County ring was allegedly supplying meth to a local street gang, Kibble said. As the investigation shifted to California, agents learned that the ring was allegedly receiving precursor chemicals from Canada and cooking as much as 30 pounds of the illicit drug each week.

In addition to manufacturing meth, Kibble said, the ring was suspected of smuggling the drug from Mexico. Various locations were used in Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties to distribute the meth, which was sold from residences, a restaurant and an auto body shop.

Agents involved in the case have seized more than $640,000 in cash, 10 weapons, two silencers and three luxury vehicles, authorities said. Nine people have been arrested during the course of the ongoing investigation.