(Image Credit: IMAGN) Port St. Lucie police announced Wednesday, July 19, 2023, that they seized 10,000 fentanyl pills worth $300,000 and a pound of cocaine in the city's largest drug bust to date.
Downey, California – Three individuals, including a brother and sister, have been arrested and face decades in prison for their roles in a large-scale fentanyl trafficking operation, officials announced Tuesday.
Carlos Manuel Mariscal, Gustavo Omar Gomez, and Priscilla Gomez are accused of possessing over 50 pounds of fentanyl with intent to sell, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. The weight of the fentanyl-containing substance exceeded 20 kilograms.
The arrests followed a joint investigation by the California Department of Justice’s Fentanyl Enforcement Program and the Downey Police Department, which resulted in the discovery of the drugs at a Downey apartment on January 22. In addition to the fentanyl, authorities seized five kilograms of heroin, ten pounds of methamphetamine, a kilogram of another controlled substance, narcotics packaging, and two firearm suppressors.
Officials emphasized the scale of the seizure, noting that 50 pounds exceeds the total fentanyl seized at the U.S.-Canada border in 2024. California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated the seized fentanyl represents 14 million lethal doses. The estimated street value of the fentanyl, if sold in small quantities, ranged between $453,000 and $1.36 million.
“This one seizure could have killed literally every resident in L.A. County by itself,” said District Attorney Nathan Hochman.
Mariscal, 39, faces multiple charges, including possession for sale of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of ammunition. He is held on $60,000 bail and faces a potential sentence of 31 years and eight months in prison. Priscilla Gomez, 44, faces charges of possession for sale and sale of a controlled substance, and could receive a 28-year prison sentence. Her bail is set at $35,000. Her brother Gustavo, 48, is charged with possession for sale and faces 24 years in prison; his bail is $10,000.
The preliminary hearing for Mariscal and Gustavo Gomez is set for March 20. Priscilla Gomez is currently in federal custody.
