Three individuals have confessed to their involvement in a significant drug trafficking operation in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia. Juan Carlos Suarez-Lugo, 55, from Martinsburg, and Alexis Alvarado, 38, from Ranson, have each pled guilty to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of over 500 grams of cocaine. Mauricio Antonio Alvarado-Flores, 38, an El Salvador citizen, also admitted guilt to similar charges and an additional charge of illegal reentry.
Court documents reveal that the three were collaborating with others within the drug trafficking organization. They each face potential federal prison sentences ranging from five to forty years for the drug charges. Alvarado-Flores could receive up to two additional years for illegal reentry. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider U.S. Sentencing Guidelines among other factors.
The prosecution is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force spearheaded the investigation with support from various agencies including the FBI’s Pittsburgh, San Francisco, San Juan, and Philadelphia Field Offices; United States Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Postal Service; DEA’s Louisville and Chicago Divisions; ATF; state police departments across multiple states; as well as local law enforcement agencies.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided over the proceedings.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, a national initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations while safeguarding communities against violent crime perpetrators.
