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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | August 2006 
Progress Cited in Disrupting Drug Ring
 Anna Cearley - Union-Tribune
U.S authorities continue to chip away at a long-standing cocaine distribution network that has its origins in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
One suspected key leader, Miguel Vergel Vasquez, was arrested July 26 after federal undercover agents observed him allegedly conducting drug deals with San Diego area customers.
Vergel pleaded not guilty in court shortly after his arrest, according to prosecutors with the District Attorney's Office, who said his attorney is public defender Richard Castellanos. Attempts to reach Castellanos this week were unsuccessful.
Authorities said they have recently arrested six other suspected members of groups that allegedly sell powdered cocaine to mostly upscale residents in coastal San Diego County, roughly from La Jolla and Pacific Beach north.
About a dozen cocaine distribution groups are believed to operate in the county with ties to Nautla, a tiny fishing village on Mexico's eastern coast.
Some Nautlans who entered the country illegally more than 15 years ago started distributing cocaine they purchased from wholesalers. As members were arrested and deported, other Nautlans and people from other parts of Mexico were recruited to cross the border illegally and join the drug enterprise.
Vergel's group is believed to have been one of the larger cells, U.S. drug investigators said.
He's one of the more successful entrepreneurs from Nautla . . . he's been operating well over a decade with more than 200 customers, said Dan Simmons, special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration's San Diego office.
Investigators had hoped a two-year investigation into the groups, called Operation Veracruz, which ended in 2004, would eradicate the links to Nautla.
That operation, which brought together many law enforcement agencies, netted more than 60 dealers and customers. The arrests dealt a strong blow to a group allegedly led by Galo Montoya Acosta, who is believed to have pioneered the Nautla ties. Law enforcement officials have an arrest warrant for Montoya, who appears to have left the San Diego area.
Investigators said they had been monitoring Vergel's comings and goings as they built a case against his group, and decided to nab him now rather than risk him eluding them in the future.
They watched Vergel for several days as he appeared to be training a man to work with customers, Simmons said. Investigators said the men met with customers on public streets. The drug dealer then would get inside the customer's car for the drug transaction. An undercover agent also posed as a customer, Simmons said.
On July 26, Vergel, 34, was pulled over on Interstate 8, in the Mission Valley area, and arrested on suspicion of transporting and selling drugs, Simmons said. He is being held on $500,000 bail, according to jail records.
U.S. authorities said the groups are aggressive about maintaining their clientele, calling customers regularly to see if they need cocaine. Many customers were spending about $10,000 a year on their habits, and others much more.
In the past, some arrested customers have been sentenced to jail time while others have been directed to rehabilitation, depending on their criminal history, Simmons said.
Anna Cearley: (619) 542-4595; anna.cearley@uniontrib.com |
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