DES MOINES, Iowa – Fourteen individuals are facing federal criminal charges as a part of a joint federal and state investigation of a methamphetamine trafficking organization. Eleven of these defendants were arrested on September 22, 2026, during the execution of 10 federal search warrants in Marshalltown, Perry, and Des Moines. Those warrants resulted in the seizure of $21,193, six firearms, and 18 phones.
The following individuals are charged across two criminal Indictments:
- Jose Manuel Yepez Jr., 31, of Marshalltown
- Marisol Ordaz Buenrostro, 24, of Perry
- Micaela A. Rivera, 25, of Des Moines
- Felipe Ramirez Alvizu, 40, of Marshalltown
- Jennifer Mares Flores, 31, of Marshalltown
- Liliana Hernandez Vazquez, 29, of Marshalltown
- Georgina Kasandra Hernandez Vazquez, 21, of Marshalltown
- Yureli Alondra Hernandez Vazquez, 25, of Marshalltown
- Juan Pablo Mendoza Juarez, 26, of Marshalltown
- Luis Ruben Aguilera Perez, 32, of Marshalltown
- Carlos Mendoza Juarez, 19, of Marshalltown
Liliana Hernandez Vazquez, Georgina Kasandra Hernandez Vazquez, and Yureli Alondra Hernandez Vazquez are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Carlos Mendoza Juarez is charged with conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine, punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and up to 40 years in prison. The remaining individuals are charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and related crimes, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life.
Eleven individuals have made their initial court appearance today and yesterday before a United States Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Trial was set for November 30, 2026. Three individuals have not yet appeared on the charges.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
These charges were announced by United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa, FBI Special Agent in Charge Gene Kowel, ATF Resident Agent in Charge Robert Carlson, Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Narcotics Enforcement Assistant Director Bryant Strouse, and Marshalltown Police Department Chief of Police Christopher Jones made the announcement. Investigating and assisting agencies include the FBI, ATF, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Marshalltown Police Department, Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Tri-County Drug Task Force, Mid Iowa Drug Task Force, Des Moines Police Department, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Mid Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, and Iowa National Guard Counter-Drug Task Force.
These arrests are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Des Moines comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation Division with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
