Suspected Heroin Kingpin Faces Charges In Ventura County
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Authorities have brought the so-called "King of Heroin in Mexico" to California to face heroin importation charges filed by the Ventura County District Attorney, according to reports.
The Ventura County Star reports Jose Antonio Medina Arreguin, also known as Don Pepe, was arrested in Michoacan and extradited to the United States last week. Arreguin appeared in court Wednesday and is being held on $750,000 bail.
Arreguin, 38, allegedly ran a ring that was smuggling more than 400 pounds of heroin per month from Mexico into the United States over a three year period. According to the Star, Arreguin faces up to 29 years in state prison if convicted of heroin importation charges.
Ventura County agents learned of the smuggling scheme after seizing 131 pounds of heroin and 28 pounds of methamphetamine in a series of raids that included a home in Downey, according to the Star. Court-approved wiretaps on a phone used by Downey resident Julio Ramirez, 50, helped build the case against the alleged heroin kingpin.
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