LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A reputed 38th Street gang member living in Mexico as a fugitive has been charged in a six-count federal indictment with helping former Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding run a billion-dollar drug trafficking operation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Read the U.S. Attorney's Office release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/fugitive-south-la-gang-member-living-mexico-and-cartel-plaza-boss-charged-using
Roberto Gomez, 51, formerly of the Central-Alameda area of South Los Angeles, is also known as "Rob Flores," "Fat Boy," "Fats" and "Rooster," according to the release.
Gomez is a United States citizen living in Mexico, according to the release.
He is considered a fugitive in two criminal cases, according to the release.
Six Federal Counts, Two Fugitive Cases, Cartel Ties
Gomez is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, according to the release.
He is also charged with one count of conspiracy to import controlled substances, three counts of accessory after the fact, and one count of attempting to transact and deal with a specially designated narcotics trafficker, according to the release.
Gomez fled Los Angeles County for Mexico after being charged in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2000 with two counts of second-degree robbery, according to the release.
In January 2018, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted Gomez on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, according to the release.
According to the indictment, Gomez met and communicated with leaders of foreign terrorist organizations in Mexico, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, known as CJNG.
Leaked Law-Enforcement Information, Transnational Shipments, A Methamphetamine Brokerage
According to the indictment, Gomez obtained law-enforcement sensitive information about arrests, drug seizures, warrant executions and the filing of criminal charges, and provided that information to co-conspirators including Wedding.
Wedding, 45, is a former Olympic athlete and Canadian national who is charged with ordering several murders, according to the release.
From 2016 to 2026, Gomez operated as an intermediate supplier of narcotics to multiple transnational criminal organizations, including Wedding's organization, according to the indictment.
His primary method involved transporting cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl into Mexico by aircraft and maritime vessels through Central America, followed by land transportation into the United States and Canada, according to the release.
From October 2024 to January 2026, Gomez assisted Wedding to hinder and prevent his apprehension, trial and punishment in the United States, according to the indictment.
He also attempted to broker the sale of about 1,000 pounds, or 453.6 kilograms, of methamphetamine to Wedding for about $550,000 in cryptocurrency, according to the release.
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A Related Indictment, A Cartel Boss, Checkpoint Code Words
In a related matter, federal prosecutors unsealed a two-count indictment against Edgar Aaron Vazquez Alvarado, 42, also known as "El General" and "Mini," according to the release.
Vazquez was shot to death last week by Mexican police, according to the release.
According to that indictment, Vazquez presented himself as a founder and boss of El Cartel Nuevo Imperio, a violent criminal organization that predominantly operated in Mexico City.
He trafficked cocaine for Wedding's enterprise and provided its members with near-daily, rotating code words that members transporting cocaine loads in Mexico relayed at checkpoints to pass through safely, according to the release.
Vazquez also paid Mexican public officials to slow down criminal investigations, dispose of and manipulate evidence, and dismiss criminal charges, according to the indictment.
From October 2024 to January 2026, Vazquez helped Wedding evade detection by United States law enforcement, according to the release.
FBI
Investigation, Federal Prosecution, Life Maximum
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime, and every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court, the release stated.
If convicted of all charges, Gomez would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment, according to the release.
The FBI investigated the case with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Federal Policing, according to the release.
United States Customs and Border Protection in Buffalo provided significant assistance, according to the release.
Assistant United States Attorneys Lyndsi Allsop and Joshua J. Lee of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting the case, according to the release.
Anyone with information about Gomez or Wedding can contact the FBI or submit a tip through the FBI's tip line.
Sources
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, Official Press Release No. 26-216, "Fugitive South L.A. Gang Member Living in Mexico and Cartel Plaza Boss Charged with Using Political Ties to Help Canadian Olympian Traffic Drugs and Evade Capture," November 10, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/fugitive-south-la-gang-member-living-mexico-and-cartel-plaza-boss-charged-using