LOS ANGELES, CA — The leader of a Southern California-based drug ring that shipped kilos of cocaine to Alaska on commercial flights and through the mail has pleaded guilty to a federal narcotics charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Raul Cisneros Jr., 45, of Compton, pleaded guilty on May 9 to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He’s the eighth person to be convicted in the case, according to federal prosecutors.

Cisneros managed the operations of a drug trafficking organization from at least July 2014 to August 2016 that sold cocaine and methamphetamine, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement stopped Cisneros in his car in October 2015 while he was en route to an accomplice’s house to pick up money. Inside his car, Cisneros had over 22 lbs. of cocaine packaged in five bundles, which he intended to sell to customers, as well as $5,003 in cash, prosecutors said.

After obtaining a search warrant for Cisneros’ home, law enforcement seized over 66 lbs. of cocaine, 167.7 grams of crack cocaine and over 1 lbs. of methamphetamine from his kitchen cabinets, prosecutors said.

Investigators also found four guns, 72 rounds of ammunition, hundreds of used green cellophane wrappers and a money counter. Inside the truck of Cisneros’ Honda Accord, agents found 15.5 lbs. of cocaine wrapped in seven packages of green cellophane, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Agents also recovered $568,357 in cash proceeds from drug deals, prosecutors said.

Cisneros, who has been in federal custody since October 2020, is due back in court for sentencing Aug. 8. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The post SoCal Cocaine Kingpin Faces Potential Life Sentence After Guilty Plea: DOJ appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.