The U.S. Department of Justice announced a ten-count indictment against five illegal aliens from Mexico for their role in running a large-scale meth production and distribution operation in California. The two leaders of the operation had been released under Biden-era catch-and-release policies after entering the country illegally.
This week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a ten-count indictment filed against four men and one woman from Mexico illegally in the country on conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine charges. The individuals named in the indictment are:
- 33-year-old Luis Reyes Carrillo
- 33-year-old Mariana Vanessa Mendoza Camacho (Carrillo’s wife)
- 31-year-old Juan Jose Manriquez Diaz
- 44-year-old Alvaro Rosales
- 38-year-old Manuel Juan Madrid Perez
Luis Reyna Carrillo and his wife entered the country illegally in 2021 and were released with a notice to appear in court. Breitbart Texas’ Brandon Darby has been reporting on the practice known as Catch and Release, which was implemented during the Obama era and reinstated during the administration of former President Joe Biden. The practice called for immigration officials to release most cases with a notice to appear in court. At the time, government officials claimed that the practice was put in place due to a lack of detention space.
In addition to Carrillo and Mendoza having been released in 2021, federal authorities revealed that Manriquez Diaz had been deported in 2018 and Rosalez had been deported in 2024; both had been able to sneak back into California.
Federal officials revealed that the new drug case began in October 2025 when authorities learned of a large-scale meth manufacturing operation in remote areas of Calaveras County. As part of the investigation, they identified the five individuals as the key members behind it.
In February 2026, authorities carried out three separate raids in California in an attempt to dismantle the operation. In one of the raids, authorities were able to find a large-scale lab and seized 1,430 pounds of meth and 1,270 pounds of partially processed meth.
In two subsequent raids, authorities found 300 more pounds of meth, as well as weapons, 1,900 marijuana plants, and marijuana bundles.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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