Three Mexican nationals were arrested in El Monte for allegedly possessing one million fentanyl pills, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
According to the arrest affidavit, Florencio Camacho Allan, Gerardo Gaixola-Patino and Alex Valdez Oroz, all natives of Sinaloa, Mexico, met with two buyers at an El Segundo restaurant on Tuesday to discuss selling 10,000 fentanyl pills followed by a deal for one million pills.
After the meeting, prosecutors say Allan and Gaixola-Patino went to the parking lot and sold 10,000 fentanyl pills to the buyers for $7,500. The suspects then left the restaurant under law enforcement surveillance.
Officers conducted a traffic stop on their vehicle at a hotel in El Monte where they located one million fentanyl pills in the car’s body and trunk, according to the DOJ.
Allan, Gaixola-Patino and Oroz were arrested Wednesday morning and face charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted, they would face life in prison.