Trio allegedly possessing 50 pounds of fentanyl in Downey face felony charges
Downey Police Chief Scott Loughner addresses the multiple felony counts against three individuals accused of possessing fentanyl in the city during the press conference on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. He is joined by California Attorney General Rob Bonta (left) and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman (right). (Photo by Vincent Medina)
DOWNEY — Multiple felony counts were filed against three accused fentanyl dealers after the Downey Police Department found they allegedly possessed more than 50 pounds of the drug in an apartment within the city, according to local and state officials on Tuesday.
The charges were announced during a press conference where Downey Police Chief Scott Loughner joined Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman and California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
An investigation between the California Department of Justice’s Fentanyl Enforcement Program and the Downey Police Department, discovered the cache in a car and the Downey apartment on Jan. 22, said the district attorney’s office.
The department’s “biggest bust yet” included - in addition to the 50lbs (20 kilograms) of fentanyl - five kilograms of heroin, ten pounds of methamphetamine, a kilogram of cocaine, narcotics packaging and two firearm suppressors, according to the attorney general.
“There's nothing worse than telling the family that their high school child has overdosed and passed away from taking fentanyl,” said Chief Loughner. “This investigation shows the level of dangerous drugs that are being brought into our communities. To say that this investigation has saved thousands of lives is an understatement.”
The approximate street value of the seized fentanyl, if sold by the gram, would be between $453,000 and $1.36 million, according to a press release from the district attorney’s office.
Attorney General Bonta said the amount of powdered fentanyl the department seized would have been enough to make 14 million doses of fentanyl.
“To give you an idea what 50 pounds of fentanyl looks like, we had Attorney General Bonton describe the number of lethal doses that would represent - 14 million lethal doses of two milligrams or more,” said DA Hochman. “This one seizure could have killed literally every resident in LA County by itself.”
The three suspects were identified as Priscilla Gomez, 43, of Torrance, Gustavo Omar Gomez, 47, of Huntington Park, and Carlos Manuel Mariscal, 37, of Huntington Park. The two Gomez’s are siblings, the DA’s office confirmed.
Priscilla Gomez was driving through Downey on Wednesday, Jan. 22, when officers pulled her over for tinted windows and discovered narcotics in the vehicle, according to the DA.
The attorney general added that a canine was also activated at the stop. He and the DA were unclear about how the drugs were found in the car, and what led to the search of the vehicle.
“We had some reliable information to know about Priscilla Gomez's role as a courier prior to the traffic stop,” said Bonta. “In ongoing conversations with her, she led us to the apartment where we were able to identify the ongoing operation with the other defendants, and there were cartel elements at the apartment.”
The attorney general said at the beginning of the press conference the trio were allegedly involved in "cartel activity.” He did not verify which "cartel elements” were found in the apartment, but said certain decor some cartels are known for such as symbols and insignias were present.”
District Attorney Hochman said the alleged connection to the cartel would relate to the source of the drugs, and “the cartel connection will be developed as the evidence is presented in court.”
A pattern for synthesizing fentanyl is through the raw resources from China that are pressed in Mexico and come over the border, according to Bonta. However, he said, the investigation is still ongoing.
Priscilla Gomez faces three counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance and a single count of sale, transportation or offer to sell a controlled substance. She is being held on $35,000 bail and could spend 28 years in prison if convicted as charged.
She is in federal custody after being recently convicted of a drug trafficking charge.
Gustavo Omar Gomez has two counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance and faces 24 years in prison if convicted as charged. His bail was set at $10,000.
Mariscal is facing two counts of possession for sale of a controlled substance, one count of possession of a silencer and another count of unlawful possession of ammunition prohibited by a prior conviction. He is being held on $60,000 bail, and if convicted, faces 31 years and eight months in prison.
The preliminary hearing for Mariscal and Gustavo Gomez is set for March 20.