Three Charged in West Palm Beach Federal Court with Conspiring to Traffic Crystal Meth

 West Palm Beach, FL. – West Palm Beach federal prosecutors have charged three defendants with conspiring to distribute over 30 pounds of crystal methamphetamine.  The three defendants are Mexican nationals.  Two of the defendants made their initial appearances today in federal magistrate court in West Palm Beach. The third defendant made his initial appearance on Friday, January 22, before a federal magistrate judge in Wisconsin, where he was arrested.    

The criminal complaint affidavits filed in federal court allege that Armando Arizmendi-Garcia, 24, Bianey Gonzalez-Arizmendi, 28, and Oscar Daniel Martinez-Nunez, 21, conspired to move methamphetamine from Atlanta, Georgia for distribution in West Palm Beach, Florida. The plan was interrupted on January 22, 2021, when Arizmendi-Garcia and Gonzalez-Arizmendi delivered over 30 pounds of crystal methamphetamine to an undercover officer, say the affidavits. Arizmendi-Garcia and Gonzalez-Arizmendi were arrested on January 22, in West Palm Beach. The third man charged, Martinez-Nunez, was arrested the same day close to Madison, Wisconsin. According to the charges, Martinez-Nunez was responsible for coordinating the drug delivery.

Upon conviction, each defendant faces a mandatory sentence of ten years imprisonment, and up to a maximum of life imprisonment. Arizmendi-Garcia and Gonzalez-Arizmendi made their initial appearances today in federal magistrate court in West Palm Beach.  Martinez-Nunez made his initial appearance on January 22, before a federal magistrate judge in Madison, Wisconsin.

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Keith Weis, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Miami Field Division made the announcement.

The DEA West Palm Beach District Office handled the investigation, with assistance from DEA-Chicago, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, West Palm Beach Police Department, and Town of Jupiter Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. McMichael is  prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is the result of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime.  The OCDETF program facilitates complex, joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 21-MJ-8011 and 21-MJ-8017.