Alleged Drug Trafficker with Connections to 2022 Drug Tunnel Extradited to San Diego from Mexico

SAN DIEGO - Genaro Lopez was arraigned in federal court today following his extradition from Mexico Friday in connection with allegations that he moved cocaine and other drugs into the United States via a sophisticated tunnel discovered in 2022.

At the hearing, the defendant entered a not guilty plea to drug trafficking charges. U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel E. Butcher granted the government's request to hold Lopez without bond on grounds that he posed a serious risk of flight from prosecution.

According to court records, Lopez, who is a United States citizen, was a powerful drug trafficker operating on both sides of the border. Prior to July 2021, Lopez operated from the United States out of a stash house in Chula Vista, until July 9, 2021, when investigators stopped three cars leaving the stash house with drugs and executed a search warrant. Authorities seized 241 kilograms of cocaine, eight guns (including two ghost guns), a bulletproof vest, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and close to $40,000 in cash.

Lopez was not present at the search; he fled to Mexico after the search and remained a fugitive until his recent arrest in Mexico on March 10 at the request of the United States. Four of Lopez's employees were arrested and charged with drug trafficking crimes and have since pleaded guilty and been sentenced.

The United States also alleges that Lopez used a cross-border tunnel discovered in 2022 to smuggle illegal drugs into the United States. Investigators discovered the tunnel on May 12, 2022, while surveilling a second stash house in National City. Authorities stopped four cars leaving the stash house and during subsequent searches of the house and cars, investigators seized close to 800 kilograms of cocaine, 74.8 kilograms (163 pounds) of methamphetamine, and 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of fentanyl. For more information, please see this link.

Beneath the warehouse, they discovered a tunnel from Tijuana to a warehouse in Otay Mesa that was estimated to be about 1,744 feet long, 61 feet deep and 4-feet in diameter, with reinforced walls, a rail system, electricity and a ventilation system. Six people were arrested in that case; five have since pleaded guilty and been sentenced while one other fled while awaiting sentencing and remains a fugitive.

Lopez's next court appearance for motion hearing and trial setting is scheduled for August 14 before U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Benjamin and Lawrence Casper. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Genaro Lopez.

*The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

DEFENDANT Case Number 24cr681-LL

Genaro Lopez Age: 54 Tijuana, Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance- - Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 841 and 846

Maximum penalty: Life in prison

Conspiracy to Import a Controlled Substance- - Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 952, 960, and 963

Maximum penalty: Life in prison

PREVIOUS DEFENDANTS AND SENTENCES

22-CR-01697-LL

Soukha Phimpasouk 48 months

Gabriel Ali Ruelas 70 months

Kevin Omar Carbajal 30 months

Josselyn Paige Smitko 345 days

22-CR-1169-LL

Juan Cruz 24 months

Mario Jaramillo 27 months

Manuel Perez-Herrera Fugitive

Vanessa Ramirez 120 months

Luz de Luna Olmos 92 days

Adrian Enriquez 120 months

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Homeland Security Investigations

San Diego Sheriff's Department

This investigation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and INTERPOL, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.