Overview

• Federal criminal complaints filed on September 29 charge John Avendano and Jose Ismael Castro Leon following DEA East Valley Task Force actions in Phoenix on September 22.
• In a traffic stop, investigators say Avendano had a firearm and about 30 pounds of meth in his truck, with a subsequent home search yielding over 5 more pounds of meth, roughly 250 grams of cocaine, and two additional firearms.
• Investigators report Castro Leon was arrested at a parking lot with a duffle holding approximately 56 pounds of meth and a firearm in his vehicle, and a later apartment search found over 34 more pounds of meth, about 1.14 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and a second firearm.
• The DEA’s Phoenix East Valley Drug Enforcement Task Force HIDTA led both investigations, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Zander is prosecuting the cases.
• Possession with intent to distribute the charged methamphetamine and fentanyl quantities carries mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years to life, and both defendants are presumed innocent.