Four members of a Lancaster-area family with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel were arrested Tuesday on a 29-count federal indictment charging them with trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and firearms — including ghost guns — in the Los Angeles area, federal prosecutors announced.
The defendants — José Luis Salazar-Cruz, 44, known as “Oso”; his brother Alfonso Salazar, 46, known as “Pirate”; his son José Manuel Salazar, 22, known as “Lil Oso”; and a third brother, Jorge Humberto Salazar, 43, known as “Sharky,” of Hesperia — were expected to make initial appearances Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles, according to the Justice Department. Three of the four are illegal aliens from Mexico, prosecutors said.
A fifth defendant, José Ángel López Paniagua, 23, of Littlerock, remained at large as of the announcement.
All five are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to deal firearms without a license, and engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, according to the indictment.
Salazar-Cruz faces the most extensive charges, including seven counts of being an alien in possession of firearms, seven counts of methamphetamine distribution, four counts of fentanyl distribution, one count of firearms trafficking, possession of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, Salazar-Cruz orchestrated the operation from February 2024 through December 2025, using text and encrypted messaging applications, phone calls and in-person meetings to coordinate drug and weapons sales. The other defendants brokered deals between suppliers and customers, the indictment alleged.
The drug quantities involved were substantial. On January 21, 2025, Salazar-Cruz sold nearly one pound of methamphetamine and roughly 324 grams of fentanyl to a buyer, prosecutors said. On July 30, 2025, he sold approximately 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, and by December 19, 2025, a single sale had grown to approximately 2.3 kilograms — about five pounds — of methamphetamine, according to the indictment.
Weapons sold during the conspiracy included a Glock .45-caliber pistol, a street-sweeper destructive device, and a ghost gun — a privately manufactured AR-style rifle with no serial number, prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Salazar-Cruz and three co-defendants told a buyer the drug supply traveled from Tijuana and Mexicali via trailer across the U.S. border, and that Paniagua obtained the narcotics directly from Sinaloa Cartel members, according to the indictment.
If convicted on all counts, the defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum of life imprisonment, prosecutors said. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford D. Mpare of the Major Crimes Section.
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