The District of Arizona’s United States Attorney’s Office announced today that a productive collaboration between the United States and Mexico led to a significant enforcement operation in Nogales, Sonora. The operation, conducted by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General de la República or FGR), aimed to dismantle a highly active transnational drug trafficking organization operating along the U.S.-Mexico border. As a result, the leader of the organization, Heriberto Jacobo Perez, along with another member named Jesus Bernardo Rodriguez, were apprehended in Mexico. Mexican authorities successfully seized four vehicles, two buildings, two firearms, currency, a substantial quantity of fentanyl pills, and other controlled substances.
Six individuals allegedly associated with the same drug trafficking organization in the United States have been indicted. The indictment, issued by a federal grand jury on July 24, 2024, charges Rafael Alonso Arriaga, Fernando Garcia-Ibarra, Socorro Rascon, Emmanuel Sotelo-Salazar, Jostan Nathanae Vega-Ochoa, and Rosa Elena Peralta-Marrufo with drug trafficking offenses. In addition, Sotelo-Salazar faces an additional indictment for possessing and distributing a foreign pill press used to manufacture counterfeit pills. Notably, Garcia-Ibarra and Vega-Ochoa are currently fugitives. Furthermore, Eva Angelina De La Torre, another member of the organization, was apprehended on November 19, 2024, while attempting to smuggle fentanyl pills into the United States through the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.
“Dismantling transnational crime necessitates collaboration across borders,” stated United States Attorney Gary Restaino. He commended the exceptional efforts of dedicated Department of Justice officials in effectively coordinating with Mexican prosecutors to dismantle this criminal organization on both sides of the border.”
This is a crucial component of a larger operation known as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The OCDETF program focuses on identifying, disrupting, and dismantling the most powerful criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States. Led by prosecutors and driven by intelligence, this multi-agency approach aims to combat high-level crime. For more details on the OCDETF Program, visit their official website at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Nogales spearheaded the investigation in the United States, collaborating closely with Homeland Security Investigations – Nogales, the United States Marshals Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The coordination between American and Mexican law enforcement agencies was made possible thanks to the support of DEA-Mexico City and FGR’s Agencia de Investigación Criminal.
The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs provided funding assistance, while the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training offered valuable support. The prosecution of the seven individuals mentioned above is being handled by the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Arizona, Tucson.
Case Number: CR-24-04681-TUC-JGZ
Release Number: 2025-110_Heriberto Jacobo Perez, et al.