Two Nabbed in Gun, Drug Sting Plead Not Guilty

Two suspected Mexican drug cartel members busted while allegedly trafficking drugs and guns in Moreno Valley pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony charges.

Jesus Espinoza and Jose Manuel Guizar-Gaytan — both 25 from Mexico —
were arrested during a sting Friday carried out by the California Attorney
General’s Inland Crackdown Allied Task Force.

“The fight against transnational gangs continues to be a priority for
the California Department of Justice,” said state Attorney General Kamala
Harris. “These arrests are another example of the hard work and dedication of our agents in the continued effort to stop the trafficking of guns, drugs and human beings throughout our state.”

During their arraignment at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Espinoza and Guizar-Gaytan pleaded not guilty to two counts each of possession of methamphetamine for sale and possession of meth with a loaded firearm, as well as three counts each of possession of an assault weapon and possession of an assault rifle, and one count of possession of a .50-caliber rifle.

The defendants are being held in lieu of $500,000 bail at the Robert
Presley Jail in Riverside.

According to prosecutors, law enforcement officials executed search
warrants last Friday at a Moreno Valley house where the two were residing after an investigation revealed a possible black market operation at the location.

During the raid at the house and a public storage locker, Riverside
County sheriff’s deputies and other members of the INCA task force seized 18
pounds of meth, valued at $832,000, four handguns, three assault rifles and the .50-caliber rifle, according to state officials.

Espinoza and Guizar-Gaytan were taken into custody without incident. Their arrests follow the arrests Wednesday of four members of the Sinaloa cartel during a sting outside a Corona hotel. During that operation, the defendants were allegedly found in possession of $1 million worth of meth