A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer who once worked at Los Angeles International Airport and his ex-wife face sentencing in April for participating in a narcotics distribution ring that moved hundreds of pounds of cocaine, heroin and marijuana from the Southland to Chicago.
Manuel Porras Salas, 52, of Fontana, a 25-year veteran of CBP who is on indefinite suspension from the agency, and Sayda Powery Orellana, 50, also of Fontana, were found guilty late Thursday following a five-day trial in Los Angeles federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Following the verdicts, the defendants were remanded into custody.
The jury found Salas and Orellana guilty of one count each of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and making false statements to law enforcement. The jury also found Orellana guilty of four additional money laundering counts.
Salas, who also worked as a CBP officer at John Wayne and Ontario International airports, and Orellana used a commercial truck driver to move hundreds of pounds of illegal drugs from California to Illinois.
For their participation, the defendants received hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation that they then laundered through bank accounts held in the name of Orellana and others. Orellana also gambled hundreds of thousands of dollars in the narcotics proceeds at a Southern California casino, evidence showed.
The investigation began when a commercial truck driver was stopped in Gallup, New Mexico on March 11, 2012, with about 570 pounds of narcotics — including cocaine, heroin and marijuana — valued at nearly $1.5 million.
In addition to the narcotics, investigators found bank account numbers belonging to Orellana. The commercial truck driver, who later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, told law enforcement that he worked with Salas and Orellana transporting narcotics to Chicago and had done so on multiple occasions, according to federal prosecutors.
When he drove a truck to Chicago, he would receive cash proceeds for the narcotics, and then Salas and Orellana would direct him to deposit the money into various bank accounts — including an account in Orellana’s name. When interviewed by federal agents, Salas and Orellana made false statements about their relationship with the truck driver and the source of the money in the bank accounts, evidence showed.
Salas and Orellana are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney on April 15, at which time each will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to a possible maximum of life in federal prison.