Southern California Man Charged in Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

NEWARK, N.J. - A Southern California man is expected to make his initial court appearance today for allegedly conspiring to transport 12 kilograms of cocaine from California to New Jersey and elsewhere, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Jesus Raul Iribe, 37, of Riverside, California, is charged by federal criminal complaint with one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine. Iribe is scheduled to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court.

Iribe has been in custody since he was arrested at his home on March 10, 2015. When federal agents arrested Iribe, they found $460,000 in cash hidden in the house, as well as three guns, including an AR-15 assault rifle.

According to the complaint:

On Feb. 8, 2013, law enforcement recorded and observed meetings between Iribe and other conspirators in which they allegedly planned to use a tractor-trailer to transport cocaine from California to New Jersey and other destinations along the East Coast. Eventually, law enforcement followed the tractor trailer to Bronx, New York, where they recovered a produce box containing 12 kilograms of cocaine.

The conspiracy charge carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski in Newark, the DEA Los Angeles Field Office and the Fontana, California, Police Department with the investigation leading to today’s charges.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barry Kamar and David Eskew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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