Milwaukee North News

U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Wisconsin issued the following announcement on Jan. 16.

Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that 11 defendants have been charged with conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl in the Milwaukee area.  Over one kilogram of fentanyl has been seized during the course of the investigation. If convicted of the heroin and fentanyl charges, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years in prison.

The defendants charged are:

Name	Age
ADOLFO REYES-FELICIANO.	26
JONATHAN ARANZAMENDI-MALDONADO	43
AZAHEL VELAZQUEZ-MELGOZA	22
BRIAN A. MELENDEZ-SANTIAGO	22
JOMUEL LOZANO-MARTINEZ	27
MALEK A. FARAKHNA	32
KENDELL R. NEWKIRK	24
ANGEL R. PADILLA-COLON	25
EDUARDO I. GUTIERREZ-ARMEDARIZ	36
EDUARDO DE JESUS ROBLES-CAMBRONERO	27
MARIO J. NAVARRO	21

On January 15, 2020, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested ten of the defendants.  Two of the arrested defendants were undocumented aliens from Mexico and subject to immediate removal.  The officers also executed search warrants in Milwaukee resulting in the seizure of approximately 800 grams of black tar heroin, 200 grams of fentanyl, and one firearm.

 “Fentanyl and heroin are extremely dangerous opioids that have led to numerous overdose deaths,” said United States Attorney Krueger in announcing the charges.  “As these charges show, law enforcement is devoted to working collaboratively and aggressively to combat drug trafficking.”  

 “In 2019, fentanyl was the leading cause for overdose deaths in the City of Milwaukee.  The DEA, along with our local, state, and federal partners have been and will continue to aggressively investigate and arrest those individuals who profit from the pain and suffering of others.  Yesterday’s law enforcement operations are a shining example of this common goal to save lives and make our communities a safer place to live,” said DEA Milwaukee District Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul E. Maxwell, Jr. 

The defendants were charged based on a multi-year investigation led by law enforcement agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, the City of Kenosha Police Department, the City of Greenfield Police Department, and the City of West Allis Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mario Gonzales. 

The public is cautioned that an indictment is merely a charge and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Original source can be found here.