Elreda Arrested on Drug Trafficking Charges

A dozen people were arrested Tuesday on charges of narcotics trafficking, money laundering and selling counterfeit goods after a two-year counter-terrorism and drug investigation centered in Los Angeles' downtown garment district.^[1]

Ali Khalil Elreda, was the focus of the federal investigation. He was detained at Los Angeles International Airport last year, after being accused of trying to smuggle $120,000 in money orders and cashier's checks to Lebanon.^[2]

During Los Angeles investigation, law enforcement authorities allegedly seized 30 kilograms of cocaine and counterfeit clothing worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Others arrested Tuesday included Elreda's brother, Mohamad; his sister, Susanne; Robert Bell; Dalisa Johnson; Moussa Matar; Matar's sons, Mohamad and Ali,; Juan Gonzalez; Frankie Higuera; and Crystal Hill.^[3]

In addition to the two indictments, four complaints were brought in the case. The U.S. attorney's office said Elreda's siblings are charged in one complaint with trafficking in counterfeit goods at a store called Hip Hop Connections.^[4] A second complaint accuses Elreda and seven others of conspiring to distribute cocaine.^[5] A third complaint accuses Hussein Saleh of trafficking in counterfeit goods through his store, Star City A & H in the garment district.^[6] The fourth complaint accuses Epifanio Mercado and Ricardo Nava of conspiring to traffic in cocaine. The two were arrested over the weekend.^[7]

The maximum penalty for the defendants charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics would be life without parole in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorney's office.^[8] The maximum penalty for the defendants charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods would be 10 years in prison, and conviction on the charges related to concealing cash from authorities could carry a maximum prison term of five years.^[9]

Trafficking Conspiracy is covered under 21 U.S.C. § 846 whereunder it states that any person who attempts or conspires to commit any drug offense will be punished in the same manner as if he had actually committed the offense.^[10] U.S. Attorneys are obligated to bring charges on "the most serious offense that is consistent with the nature of the defendant's conduct, and that is likely to result in a sustainable conviction.^[11] This essentially states that given the choice between seeking a conspiracy indictment for drug trafficking, federal prosecutors will choose 21 U.S.C. § 846 rather than the standard 18 U.S.C. § 371 conspiracy charge, because the penalties are steeper, and it is easier to prove a drug conspiracy rather than a section 371 conspiracy.

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^[1] Greg Krikorian, 12 arrested in counter-terrorism and drug-trafficking investigation, Los Angeles Times, November 7, 2007, available at http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-drugring7nov07,1,3731393.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california (last visited November 7, 2007).
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] Id.
^[9] Id.
^[10] 21 U.S.C. § 846 (2007).
^[11] ." US Attorney's Manual, Principles of Federal Prosecution; Selecting Charges - Charging Most Serious Offense, 9-27.300 (Aug. 2002) available here.