San Diego
A federal grand jury in San Diego indicted two Los Angeles men Tuesday on charges of buying 110 pounds of cocaine from undercover agents during a “sting” last month.
The grand jury issued three-count indictments against Jose Moises Higuera-Uriarte, 41, and Romeo Alfonso Inzunza-Uriarte, 29, both carpenters from Los Angeles, charging possession of the drug with the intent to sell. If convicted, the men could be sentenced to 10 years to life.
The two were arrested Aug. 30 at the Salton Sea Airport after they purchased the cocaine from undercover agents for $460,000 in cash, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Amalia L. Meza. She said drug agents learned in August that the men were distributing about 50 kilos of cocaine a week in Los Angeles.
The pair had been paying about $12,000 for a kilo of the drug, which originated in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, and were looking for a cheaper source when the undercover agents decided to set up a “reverse sting,” said Meza.
Meza said a search of Higuera’s home after his arrest turned up a submachine gun and 600 rounds of ammunition.
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