Sinaloa Cartel Cell Disrupted In IE, RivCo Sheriff's Deputy Charged

RIVERSIDE, CA — A multi-agency, yearlong investigation targeting the Sinaloa cartel's alleged drug trafficking network in the Inland Empire has netted multiple arrests and an estimated $16 million in illicit drugs, the Riverside Police Department announced Wednesday.

Among those snared was a Riverside County correctional deputy.

Dubbed "Operation Hotline Bling," the investigation began in March 2023. It was initiated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Riverside District Office and the Riverside Police Department with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service. A total of 376 pounds of methamphetamine, 37.4 pounds of fentanyl, 600,000 fentanyl tablets, 1.4 kilograms of cocaine, and seven firearms were recovered during the operation, according to Riverside police.

Three federal indictments charging six people were handed down, and 16 state arrest warrants were issued. Fifteen people have been arrested, police said.

Three Inland Empire defendants are federally charged: Edwin Michael Alva, 31, of San Jacinto; Christopher Antonio Arreola-Alvarado, 25, of Perris; and Jose Javier Raya Cortez, 21, of Perris. Cortez is also federally charged in the District of Delaware.

Federal prosecutors say the trio shipped kilogram-quantity parcels of narcotics through the United States Postal Service.

"Those who traffic in dangerous narcotics must be held accountable," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.

Former Riverside County Sheriff's Correctional Deputy Jorge Alberto Oceguera-Rocha, 25, of Banning, was also arrested as part of the investigation. In September, he was allegedly caught carrying more than 100 pounds of fentanyl on Interstate 10 near Calimesa.

Oceguera-Rocha is charged with transportation of controlled substances, possession of controlled substances for sale, and sentence-enhancing allegations of perpetrating a drug-related offense while armed. He is being held at Riverside's Robert Presley Detention Center in lieu of $5 million bail as his case winds through the judicial system.

According to court documents, Oceguera-Rocha has ties to the Mexican cartel.

Oceguera-Rocha was hired by the sheriff's department in April 2019 and was assigned to the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. He resigned immediately after his arrest.

In a released statement about "Operation Hotline Bling," Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said his agency's collaboration with the DEA was about more than enforcement.

"We will continue leveraging every available resource to disrupt drug distribution trying to make its way into our Riverside neighborhoods ... so that the city "remains a safe and thriving place for people to live, work, and raise families," he said.