Four residents of Arizona have entered guilty pleas in federal court to charges related to narcotics trafficking and money laundering, according to an announcement from Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. The charges are linked to an international drug trafficking organization involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine.
The defendants, all from the Phoenix area, were among 35 individuals charged through a Second Superseding Indictment unsealed in January 2024 for their roles in the operation. They pleaded guilty before United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on July 30, July 31, and August 4.
The individuals are identified as Marcos Monarrez Jr., age 26 of Phoenix; Erivan Guerrero, age 25 of Phoenix; Donald Garwood, age 43 of Glendale; and Jesus Aaron Garcia, age 25 of Phoenix.
According to information presented during the plea hearings, between September and November 2022 Monarrez Jr., along with his father Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza, led a Phoenix-based drug trafficking group. Authorities intercepted Monarrez Jr. over a federal wiretap acquiring large quantities of methamphetamine, millions of fentanyl pills, and kilograms of cocaine from a Mexican supplier. These drugs were then distributed nationwide by subordinate distributors, including into western Pennsylvania. Monarrez Jr. also provided more than $10,000 in proceeds from drug sales to couriers who smuggled the funds into Mexico.
Court documents indicate that the defendants conspired with others to distribute substantial amounts of cocaine (at least five kilograms), fentanyl (400 grams or more), and methamphetamine (500 grams or more). Federal wiretaps captured them obtaining these drugs for further distribution. Between May 2022 and March 2023 Guerrero also conspired to launder money using bulk cash obtained from drug sales to conduct financial transactions designed to conceal its origins and support the conspiracy. Guerrero provided funds to suppliers knowing they would be transported into Mexico for this purpose.
Monarrez Jr. additionally pleaded guilty at the same hearing to a separate charge from the Eastern District of Michigan for conspiracy involving at least 400 grams of fentanyl between February 2019 and December 14, 2021.
Sentencing is scheduled for Garcia, Guerrero, and Garwood on November 6, 2025; Monarrez Jr.’s sentencing is set for December 5, 2025. The law mandates life imprisonment for Monarrez Jr.; other defendants face sentences ranging from ten years up to life in prison as well as fines up to $10 million.
These pleas follow those already entered by twenty-two co-defendants in the case; nine have been sentenced so far.
Assistant United States Attorneys Arnold P. Bernard Jr. and Tonya S. Goodman are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the FBI’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations; additional support came from IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and local law enforcement partners.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities through coordinated efforts like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
