37 charged in San Diego gang-led gun and meth trafficking rings

A yearlong investigation into gun and methamphetamine trafficking has led to federal charges against 37 documented gang members and associates who operated throughout San Diego’s Mid-City neighborhoods, the U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday.

Twenty-two defendants were arrested in sweeps this week, while another seven were already in custody. Others remain outstanding.

The investigation began when Homeland Security Investigations infiltrated a meth distribution cell headed by gang member Soulidao Chounlaboudy, whose moniker is “Lazy,” according to court documents. Undercover agents bought meth, guns and stolen vehicles from him and others.

The investigation led to Ruben Contreras Ramirez, a member of a different gang accused of being a gun distributor involved in the manufacturing of assault-style weapons, prosecutors said.

Another meth and crack cocaine distribution network was run by John Quarles Jr., who is a member of another gang, according to court records. The drug ring is alleged to have distributed dozens of pounds of meth, using Teralta Park in City Heights as a home base.

During the two-day sweep this week, law enforcement seized more than three pounds of meth, 17 guns and $25,000 in drug proceeds, prosecutors said. The investigation involved wiretaps, dozens of undercover drug buys and surveillance, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

San Diego police, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies have assisted with the case.

“Gangs and drugs are infesting many of our neighborhoods and creating a violent culture that is unsafe for residents,” acting U.S. Atty. Alana Robinson said in a statement. “With today’s action, we are reclaiming these parks and streets for our families, our children and our communities.”

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune