PITTSBURGH (EYT) – Ten individuals from Arizona, Ohio, Washington, and Mexico—among them a member of the Cártel de Sinaloa and one undocumented individual—pleaded guilty this week in federal court to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti.
These charges stem from an extensive international narcotics and money laundering operation, revealed in a second superseding indictment unsealed in January 2024. In total, 35 individuals were charged for their roles in a criminal network trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine across the U.S. and Mexico.
The following defendants entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan between April 21–23, 2025:
Humberto Arredondo-Soto, 25, Culiacan, Mexico
Jaime Ledesma, 27, Phoenix, AZ
Stephanie Ortiz, 26, Avondale, AZ
Samuel Aguirre, 23, Phoenix, AZ
Jesus Lopez, 24, Phoenix, AZ
Diego Monarrez, 23, Phoenix, AZ
Adrian Lopez Rivera, 24, Phoenix, AZ
Donnell Collins, 29, Cleveland, OH
Luis Fentanes, 24, Phoenix, AZ
Mohamed Kariye, 36, Kent, WA
From August 2021 through June 2023, these individuals conspired to distribute significant quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine—targeting Pennsylvania and other areas, prosecutors said.
Seven of the defendants, including Arredondo-Soto, were involved in distributing 400+ grams of fentanyl, 500+ grams of meth, and, for most, 5+ kilograms of cocaine. Collins and Fentanes were tied to the distribution of both fentanyl and cocaine, with Collins additionally caught possessing 500+ grams of cocaine in March 2023. Kariye conspired to distribute 40+ grams of fentanyl.
Federal wiretaps intercepted communication as these drugs were trafficked and distributed.
Aguirre also played a role in laundering drug money between April 2022 and March 2023—packing and delivering large amounts of U.S. currency to couriers transporting the proceeds to Mexico to fund additional drug supplies.
Arredondo-Soto, a Mexican national and the organization’s primary supplier, had direct ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Prosecutors say he was responsible for trafficking millions of fentanyl pills and hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine. Members of the operation also trafficked military-grade firearms into Mexico as part of drug payments.
Mexican law enforcement arrested Arredondo-Soto in August 2023, and he was extradited to the U.S. in February 2024 with support from Homeland Security Investigations and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Sentencing for all 10 defendants is scheduled between November 3–5, 2025. Most face 10 years to life in prison and fines of up to $10 million, except Kariye, who faces 5 to 40 years and up to $5 million in fines.
With these new guilty pleas, 19 of the 35 defendants in the case have now entered pleas. Additionally, Mark Camacho, 26, of Phoenix, was sentenced this week to 57 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a U.S. Justice Department initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations, cartels, and violent crime. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Tonya S. Goodman.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations, with support from the IRS Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and other local partners.
