Three men were recently detained for allegedly being involved in a drug ring in southern Arizona, federal authorities reported on Tuesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona accuses Jose Gracia-Vega, 28, of Tucson; Ulises Yescas-Garcia, 23, of Tucson; and Sebastian Higuera-Fuentes, 22, of Nogales, Mexico, of conspiring to sell substantial amounts of methamphetamine in Tucson since February.
The Department of Justice reports that crude labs frequently manufacture methamphetamine, also known as meth, using store-bought materials, making it a potent and highly addictive stimulant. The illegal drug is available in a number of forms, including powder, crystal, rocks, and pills.
Prosecutors say they arrested Gracia-Vega on October 17 as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force investigation. He was allegedly in possession of 27 pounds of meth he intended to sell.
According to a federal criminal complaint, the other two males provided Gracia-Vega with the pills at a meeting that morning.
What charges do Arizona drug ring suspects face?
Gracia-Vega faced charges of distributing methamphetamine the day after he was taken into custody.
Yescas-Garcia and Higuera-Fuentes were arrested on the same day as Gracia-Vega after being named in a seven-count indictment on October 2. The charges against them include conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and aiding and abetting distribution of methamphetamine.
Multiple federal authorities, including the Marana Police Department, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are investigating the southern Arizona narcotics conspiracy.
