Indictment lists 18 suspects, Mexican Mafia ties in ‘sophisticated’ operation to deliver drugs to jails
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office announced a 26-count indictment centered around a “sophisticated drug smuggling operation” involving Mexican Mafia associates, an L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputy and a Santa Clarita Valley jail facility.
“Corruption and criminal activity will not be tolerated in our justice system — especially within our jails,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement Tuesday evening. “Ensuring that our correctional facilities remain secure and free of illicit drugs is crucial to public safety. Those entrusted with upholding the law must be held to the highest standards, and we will aggressively prosecute those who betray that trust.”
The operation was connected to the April 30 arrest by the LASD Internal Criminal Investigation Bureau of Michael Meiser, a 39-year-old deputy who worked at Pitchess Detention Center, according to Hochman’s release.
“We arrested (Meiser) on April 30, 2024, for felony charges. The employee is currently relieved of duty,” according to Nicole Nishida, communications manager for the LASD, in an email in response to questions about the complaint. “We hold our employees to the highest standards and expect them to safeguard individuals within our custody care, and when they violate the law, they will be held accountable.”
LASD officials did not respond to a question regarding whether any other employees were identified as part of the investigation.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau and the FBI’s San Gabriel Valley Safe Streets Task Force began investigating reports of narcotics smuggling in the Los Angeles County jail system in February 2022 after the violent attack of an inmate.
Meiser was one of 18 listed on the multicount indictment that alleged a conspiracy to sell heroin, extort, assault and other felonies in furtherance of Mexican Mafia activities, per the DA’s complaint.
The 50-page document released Tuesday alleges months of coded messaging were intercepted by investigators that detailed drug trade between the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic and Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles. It centers around a man identified as a leader of the L.A. County jails’ drug trade.
“On or before January 2022, Michael ‘Mosca’ (‘Fly’) Torres assumed control of an organized criminal enterprise that controls the collection of proceeds of illegal activity within the Los Angeles County jail system,” per the complaint. “This organization is commonly referred to as the Southside and is controlled by the Mexican Mafia, a prison gang.”
Deputies’ notes on the indictment provided detailed allegations about how the transactions were handled.
On Jan. 13, 2022, for example, “Estela Guerrero instructed David ‘Too Tall’ Fraysure to send the proceeds of narcotics to the homie from Rockwood who was ‘one above’ Fraysure,” according to the indictment, which also states that, five days later, “an unidentified co-conspirator housed at NCCF (aka ‘Green Eyes’) reported to Guerrero, that co-conspirator ‘Scrappy’ reported that ‘Kristina’ (Rosa Kristina Martinez) had ‘picked it up’ yesterday.”
The inmates often used coded language, according to the complaint, but the communications were made over the Inmate Telephone Monitoring System, which are recorded by the LASD.
In one such Feb. 27, 2024, call made after 11 p.m., “the ‘white Jordans’ (coded language consistent with methamphetamine) were sold to her for 27 ($2,700), and the ‘black Jordans’ (coded language consistent with heroin) was sold to her for 25 ($2,500).”
Hochman commended the work of the Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau and the FBI’s San Gabriel Valley Safe Streets Task Force for the investigation.
“Cleaning up our jail system is critical to breaking the cycle of crime that spills over into our communities,” he wrote in the release. “We will continue to root out corruption and ensure that those responsible for endangering public safety are held accountable.”
The pretrial hearing for all defendants is set for March 27 in Department 109 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.
The defendants include:
• Meiser, 39, of Lancaster
• Jose Trancito Martinez, 36, of Long Beach.
• Daniel Garcia, 38, an inmate.
• Pharoah Brook, 47, an inmate.
• David Fraysure, 27, an inmate.
• Daniel Arochi Gonzalez, 24, of Carson.
• Jackie Triplett, 40, an inmate.
• Jesse Quintero, 44, of Hacienda Heights.
• Marco Lujan, 47, of Pomona.
• Andy DominqueZ, 30, an inmate.
• Ariel Pereyra, 28, an inmate.
• Angel Grajales, 33, of Arleta.
• Frank Rodriquez, 31, of Los Angeles.
• Jose Rodriguez, 47, an inmate.
• Jessie Abdon, 24, an inmate.
• Arianna Inocente, 22, of Norwalk.
• Salma Haro, 24, of Long Beach.
