MENU News

• All News
• Blogs
• Photo Galleries
• Podcasts
• Press Releases
• Speeches
• Videos

Archived Press Releases

Archived News

Press Release

Illegal Aliens from Mexico Indicted for Conspiracy to Manufacture and Distribute Methamphetamine Related to a Clandestine Lab in Calaveras County, California

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Share For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs 3,000 Pounds of Methamphetamine and 12 Firearms Seized from Houses in Valley Springs, Turlock, and Modesto, California, as Part of Homeland Security Task Force Investigation A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment today against five illegal aliens from Mexico, charging them with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, as well as various other drug trafficking and firearms offenses, Attorney General Pamela Bondi and U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

“These illegal aliens allegedly operated a secret lab on American soil producing thousands of pounds of deadly drugs to poison our communities,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This clandestine and illegal operation has now been dismantled — we will continue protecting Americans from the dangerous results of the prior administration’s open-border policies.”

• Luis Reyna Carrillo, 33, is charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; two counts of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; and being an alien in possession of a firearm.
• Carrillo’s wife, Mariana Vanessa Mendoza Camacho, 33, is charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and two counts of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
• Juan Jesus Manriquez Diaz, 31, is charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; and being an alien in possession of ammunition.
• Alvaro Rosales, 44, is charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
• Manuel Juan Madrid Perez, 38, is charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; three counts of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions in California including a conviction on Sept. 19, 2022, for false imprisonment and preventing a victim from reporting a crime. According to Department of Homeland Security records, Carrillo and Camacho arrived in the United States in March 2021 and were given a notice to appear. Diaz was previously removed from the United States in 2018. Rosales was removed in August 2024.

According to court documents, in October 2025, law enforcement authorities began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization suspected of manufacturing methamphetamine in a remote area of Calaveras County. During the investigation, Carrillo and his associates were identified as part of that conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine.

On Feb. 27, 2026, multiple law enforcement agencies engaged in a coordinated operation and executed search warrants at three locations connected to Carrillo and his associates in Valley Springs, Turlock, and Modesto, California.

While executing the search warrants, law enforcement located a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Calaveras County. They seized approximately 1,430 pounds of methamphetamine and 1,270 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in a partially processed state.

Law enforcement agencies searched two additional residences in Stanislaus County that were associated with Carrillo and his associates. In Turlock, law enforcement located and seized an additional 300 pounds of methamphetamine packaged for distribution, nine firearms, and multiple magazines and rounds of ammunition. In Modesto, they seized 2 pounds of methamphetamine, 107 pounds of processed marijuana, 1,900 marijuana plants, and three firearms. As aliens, Carrillo and Diaz are prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, and Perez is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of his prior felony convictions.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit in coordination with Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, the Sacramento Area Intelligence Narcotics Team (SAINT), the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Caily Nelson is prosecuting the case.

If convicted on the drug-trafficking charges, Carrillo, Camacho, Diaz, Rosales, and Perez each face a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Carrillo, Diaz, and Perez face additional penalties if convicted of the firearm- or ammunition-related offenses. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Sacramento comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated March 19, 2026 Component Office of the Attorney General Press Release Number: 26-272

Related Content

Press Release Three Charged with Conspiring to Unlawfully Divert Cutting Edge U.S. Artificial Intelligence Technology to China Today, an indictment was unsealed charging Yih-Shyan “Wally” Liaw, Ruei-Tsang “Steven” Chang, and Ting-Wei “Willy” Sun, for allegedly conspiring to divert high-performance computer servers assembled in the United States and...

March 19, 2026

Press Release Department of Justice Proposes Rule to More Quickly Achieve Justice in State Death Penalty Cases Attorney General Pamela Bondi today announced that the Justice Department has proposed a rule that will empower states to streamline federal habeas review of capital cases.  These reforms will reduce...

March 17, 2026

Video Sixth Hearing of the Religious Liberty Commission

March 16, 2026