Brothers from Southern California Sentenced to 24 Years Each for Operating a Heroin Delivery Ring with Code Words like “Taco” Julio Cesar Martinez, 45, of Riverside, and Victor Martinez, 46, of Hemet, in California’s Inland Empire, received a 24-year federal prison sentence each for orchestrating a heroin delivery operation that utilized coded language such as “taco” for telephone orders, according to prosecutors.
The siblings, who pleaded guilty in August to conspiring to distribute heroin, admitted to distributing a minimum of 29 kilograms (64 pounds) of the drug in Orange County. The operation, in existence from September 2003 to July 2021, involved the smuggling of heroin from Mexico into the U.S. through couriers concealing the substance in their body cavities.
Buyers placed orders through call centers in workers’ homes, using names of Mexican foods as code for drugs. For instance, a gram of heroin was referred to as a “taco,” and an ounce (slightly over 28 grams) was termed an “enchilada.” Runners fulfilled the orders and collected payment.
Tragically, one customer in Orange County died in 2016 from a heroin and drug overdose, highlighting the grave consequences of the operation. To further evade detection, other members of the ring made small bank deposits of $10,000 or less, avoiding federal reporting requirements.
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The brothers were part of “Operation Horse Caller,” a five-year federal initiative aimed at dismantling the drug ring. Sixteen individuals, including the Martinez brothers, have been convicted as a result of this extensive effort, according to prosecutors. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada emphasized that the lengthy sentences underscore society’s intolerance for such misconduct, condemning the destructive impact the brothers had on the community while profiting from others’ addiction.