Los Angeles federal agents arrested a father and son accused of dealing with powerful narcotics and illegal firearms. According to CBS News, Antonio Espinoza Zarate, 55, and Francisco Javier Espinoza Galindo, 31, have been charged with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. These charges carry severe consequences, with the possibility of facing a life sentence in federal prison if convicted.
As the U.S. Department of Justice reports, the Espinozas were involved in selling at least 2 kilograms of fentanyl pills and an assortment of guns between 2023 and 2025. Antonio, also known as "El Gato," has been documented to have illegally reentered the country after multiple deportations. The sheer volume of their transactions and the grave danger posed by fentanyl make it imperative for the authorities to quickly act and bring such operations to a halt.
Details gathered from court documents highlight Antonio's significant history of criminal activity. He was previously convicted by the Los Angeles Superior Court for selling drugs in 2008 and by an Arizona federal court in 2015 for entering the country illegally. Additionally, "El Gato" was deported four times in recent years — 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2017. Francisco is allegedly supplying firearms and helping with sales.
Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigative Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Los Angeles Police Department all contributed to uncovering the Espinozas' illicit enterprise.
Assistant United States Attorney Diane B. Roldán from the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting the case.
