Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett says the drug smuggling investigation began in January, 2009.
Through a series of controlled cocaine purchases from Rosalina Cerda, 24, investigators say they were able to identify her source as a family of Colombian descent, including; Ewarg "Edward" Larios, 40, his brother, Herbert Larios, 38, and close family associate, Walter VonRoestel-Navarro, 40.
The grand jury found that the Ewarg Larios, of Easton, used his brother and VonRoestel-Navarro as "mules" or "body carriers" to smuggle the drugs into the United States.
According to agents the men, while in Colombia, compressed heroin or cocaine, dipped the drugs twice in paraffin wax and then wrapped them in latex creating nine to 10 gram pellets.
Corbett said that the smugglers allegedly ingested numerous pellets of heroin or cocaine, often swallowing as much as a kilo of drugs at a time. Once the smugglers reached the Lehigh Valley, they stayed in various area hotels where they would excrete the cocaine or heroin pellets and distribute them for resale in the Lehigh Valley.
Agents estimate that the organization has smuggled at least 12 kilograms of heroin and 12 kilograms of cocaine with a total estimated street value of $4.8 million from Colombia to the Lehigh Valley over the past three years.
On Oct. 15, 2009, agents arrested Herbert Larios and VonRoestel-Navarro after they traveled from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to a Lehigh Valley motel. Larios and VonRoestel-Navarro had already excreted over 100 pellets of cocaine and heroin, which were later found in the hotel room and seized along with their passports.
Agents said that on this trip to the Lehigh Valley, Herbert Larios excreted 111 pellets, each weighing approximately nine grams and totaling one kilo of cocaine and VonRoestel-Navarro excreted 119 heroin pellets, each weighing nine to 10 grams and totaling approximately 1,200 grams of heroin.
During the investigation, agents learned that another family was distributing the cocaine and heroin smuggled into the country. Daniel Matos, 37, his mother, Carmen Matos, 54, and his sister Zaida Matos, 34, were each identified as distributing large amounts of heroin and cocaine.
The grand jury found that Daniel Matos received hundreds of grams of heroin and cocaine, packaged the drugs into smaller quantities and, with the help of his mother and sister, resold the drugs in the Lehigh Valley.
