An indictment has been unsealed against Honduran national Abner Estrada Cruz, 25, who is charged with conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl and seven counts of distributing the drug. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith made the announcement following Estrada Cruz's extradition from Honduras to the United States.

The charges are a result of a two-year investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into a Honduran fentanyl trafficking organization operating in Honduras, San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon. The DEA seized over 16 pounds of fentanyl powder trafficked into California by Estrada Cruz’s co-conspirators. These individuals—Yahir Alexander Arteaga Cruz, Carlos Samir Colindrez-Erazo, and Aronis Jose Hernandez Aguilar—face similar charges in a separate indictment filed in Sacramento.

Estrada Cruz served as the operations manager for the organization, handling orders and deliveries from locations in San Francisco, Portland, and Honduras. He was arrested in Honduras and extradited to the United States after legal proceedings.

The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the DEA, California Department of Justice Bureau of Investigation Fentanyl Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron L. Desmond is prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs collaborated with law enforcement in Honduras to secure Estrada Cruz's arrest and extradition.

If convicted on conspiracy charges related to fentanyl distribution, Estrada Cruz could face life imprisonment and a $10 million fine. Sentencing would be determined by the court based on statutory factors and federal guidelines. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at dismantling major criminal organizations within California's Eastern District. The OCDETF Sacramento Strike Force comprises agents from various federal and state agencies working collaboratively on these cases.