Suspected L.A. Gang Members Indicted on Drug and Weapons Charges

By City News Service

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Ten suspected Southland gang members and associates were indicted on drug and weapons charges in connection with a federal probe targeting methamphetamine and firearms trafficking in South Los Angeles,
federal authorities announced on Wednesday.

Six of the defendants were arrested today, while a seventh was already incarcerated on unrelated state charges. Three of those facing charges remain at large, officials said.

The defendants, who are allegedly linked to 18th Street gang cliques, are named in eight separate indictments, five of which were unsealed today. Eight of the 10 are charged with trafficking meth, while the remaining two are accused of weapons violations.

The charges are the culmination of a probe spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations that began in February 2009, officials said.

Over the course of the investigation, HSI special agents used undercover purchases of narcotics and firearms to develop evidence about the alleged trafficking activity. To date, the case has led to the seizure of 10 weapons, including a gold-plated AK-47 assault rifle.

"Street gangs, like any criminal organization, need a means to generate income and for these 18th Street cliques, selling drugs and guns provided vital illicit proceeds,'' said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles.

"With these arrests and indictments, we've dealt a significant blow to several of the most well-established gang cliques in South Los Angeles and our efforts to disrupt their criminal activities are continuing.''

Investigators say the defendants identified in the probe were older gang members who held leadership positions in the organization. Investigators say that, as "shot callers,'' the defendants played a key role in overseeing the gang's meth trafficking activities in South Los Angeles.

The defendants named in the indictments unsealed today are:

-- Wesley Aaron Arredondo, 27, of Paramount, charged with distribution of methamphetamine;
-- Martin "Chino'' Avila, 43, of Compton, charged with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine;
-- Edward "Bouncer'' Diaz, 31, of Los Angeles, charged with distribution of methamphetamine;
-- Sharon "hyper'' Paiz, 32, of Saugus; charged with distribution of methamphetamine;
-- Ricardo "Vago'' Perez, 31, of Los Angeles; charged with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine;
-- Joaquin "Sniper'' Saucedo, 39, of Hesperia, charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm, namely a sawed-off shotgun; and
-- Aaron "Droopy'' Ramos, 28, of Los Angeles, charged with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine. Ramos is currently in custody on unrelated state charges.

Because the three defendants who remain at large are charged in indictments that remain sealed, their names were not released, authorities said.