Three LACo residents arrested in cartel-linked drug/gun indictment

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - Three Los Angeles County residents were among four suspected Sinaloa Cartel-linked defendants arrested today on federal charges alleging they trafficked fentanyl, large quantities of methamphetamine and firearms, including so-called "ghost guns" lacking serial numbers.

The defendants -- all members of the same family -- are:
   -- José Luis Salazar-Cruz, 44, of Lancaster;
   -- Alfonso Salazar, 46, of Lancaster;
   -- José Manuel Salazar, 22, of Lancaster; and
   -- Jorge Humberto Salazar, 43, of Hesperia.  

A search was continuing for a fifth man, José Ángel López Paniagua, 23, of Littlerock.  

According to the indictment, filed in Los Angeles federal court, Salazar-Cruz coordinated the sale of narcotics and firearms. The other defendants negotiated sales of the drugs and firearms among suppliers and met with customers to exchange drugs for cash, federal prosecutors allege.

Multiple sales of fentanyl and one-pound quantities of methamphetamine took place between February 2024 to December 2025, according to prosecutors.   

From December 2024 to July 2025, Salazar-Cruz and other defendants allegedly made illegal sales of firearms, including a Glock .45-caliber pistol, a street-sweeper destructive device, and a privately manufactured AR-style rifle with no serial number, commonly referred to as a ``ghost gun,'' according to the indictment.  

Prosecutors contend that in May 2025, Salazar-Cruz and three other defendants told a buyer that their supply of drugs came from Tijuana and Mexicali, Mexico, and was carried across the border via trailer. Paniagua allegedly obtained the drugs from members of the Sinaloa cartel, and he provided the narcotics to Salazar-Cruz in exchange for money, according to federal authorities.  

All five defendants face charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, and engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license.

Salazar-Cruz is charged with multiple counts of being a noncitizen in possession of firearms, distribution of methamphetamine, and distribution of fentanyl, plus single counts of trafficking in firearms, possession of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

If convicted of all charges, the defendants would face a sentence of between 10 years and life imprisonment.