Feds bust family-run drug business with links to Mexican cartel, prosecutors say
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Four of five men charged in a drug trafficking operation across Southern California that authorities say has links to the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico were arrested Tuesday, federal prosecutors said.José Luis Salazar-Cruz, 44, Alfonso Salazar, 46, and José Manuel Salazar, 22, all of whom are from Lancaster; and Jorge Humberto Salazar, 43, of Hesperia, face a total of 29 criminal charges for allegedly trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and firearms, according to the U.S.
attorney’s office.Salazar-Cruz, Alfonso Salazar, and Jorge Humberto Salazar are brothers and José Manuel Salazar is Salazar-Cruz’s son.The three older men are Mexican citizens, according to prosecutors.
Authorities are still searching for José Ángel López Paniagua, 23, of Littlerock, Calif., who is also charged in the case.The men could not be reached for comment Tuesday, and it is unclear whether they have attorneys.Federal prosecutors allege that from February 2024 to December 2025, Salazar-Cruz coordinated the sale of narcotics and firearms using text messages, encrypted messaging apps, phone calls and in-person meetings.
The other men facilitated transactions between suppliers and customers, at times meeting directly with buyers to complete the drug sales, prosecutors said.On Dec.14, 2024, prosecutors said, Salazar-Cruz spoke by phone with an individual he believed was a firearms buyer, who was actually an undercover officer, and agreed to meet for future weapons sales.
Two days later, he met the undercover officer and sold three firearms — a shotgun, a rifle and a handgun, according to the indictment.In April 2025, the document states, Salazar-Cruz texted photographs of additional firearms to the same undercover officer.The alleged family-run trafficking group conducted multiple sales of drugs including meth and fentanyl, often involving quantities of about one pound or more, prosecutors said....