Criminal illegal alien sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking in California

YAKIMA, Wash. - ICE's Homeland Security Investigations office in Yakima announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego, California, sentenced 21-year-old Ricardo Orizaba-Zendejas, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, to 20 years in prison for narcotics and weapons violations.

Orizaba, who entered the United States illegally, was charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine, along with related forfeiture and weapons offenses.

"Orizaba's sentencing serves as a clear warning: Those who threaten our communities with guns and drugs will be held accountable," said acting HSI Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. "I commend the dedication of HSI professionals and our partner agencies for their thorough investigation, which ultimately led to bringing this public safety threat to justice."

The sentencing resulted from Operation Gone in 60 Seconds, a Homeland Security Task Force- designated joint investigation led by HSI San Diego and HSI Yakima, with assistance from partner agencies. The operation targeted a drug trafficking organization linked to the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, responsible for multiple murders - including the killing of a government witness - drug smuggling and federal weapons violations.

Orizaba was sentenced in the Southern District of California. He will be removed to Mexico after completing his sentence.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force 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, 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.