'Kingpin': 13 more sentenced in large-scale Phoenix drug trafficking ring
DOJ: AZ father, son ran large drug trafficking ring
A father and son duo from Phoenix allegedly led the Monarrez Drug Trafficking Organization, moving fentanyl and meth from Mexican suppliers throughout the United States, and are now facing the rare "Kingpin" charge. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum reports.
PHOENIX - Thirteen more defendants have been sentenced in the "Kingpin" case involving the Monarrez Drug Trafficking Organization.
A majority of the defendants sentenced to federal prison are from the Phoenix metro area.
The backstory:
As FOX10 previously reported, the Monarrez DTO was led by a father-son duo of Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza and Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza Jr. The duo was indicted with the rare "Kingpin" statute, also known as the Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute.
The father and son were scheduled for early December sentencing at the time of their pleas.
‘Kingpin’: Arizona man pleads guilty to running large-scale drug trafficking ring
A Phoenix man has pleaded guilty to charges including violating the federal "Kingpin" statute in connection to leading a large-scale drug trafficking ring known as the Monarrez Drug Trafficking Organization.
Update:
The Department of Justice announced on Nov. 14, saying the 13 individuals violated federal narcotics and money laundering laws in relation to a transnational criminal organization.
Dig deeper:
From August 2021 to June 2023, in the Western District of Pennsylvania and elsewhere, the defendants conspired to distribute five kilograms of cocaine, 400 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams of methamphetamine.
The longest sentence given was 210 months for Jaime Ledesma, who was a major supplier of drugs from Mexico to Phoenix.
From left: Cesar Monarrez and Jaime Ledesma
The sentenced defendants from Arizona are Jesus Lopez, Adrian Lopez Rivera, Luis Fentanes, Diego Monarrez, Cesar Monarrez, Diamond Williams-Dorsey, Samuel Aguirre, Jesus Aaron Garcia, Erivan Guerrero, and Robert Foster.
Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza and Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza Jr. are the only two suspects charged with the federal "Kingpin" statue.
What's next:
The DOJ says 31 of the 35 defendants charged in the second superseding indictment have pleaded guilty or have been convicted in this case, with 23 now sentenced. Two defendants convicted during a jury trial in September 2024 are waiting for their sentencing.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered from a news release by the Department of Justice on Nov. 14, 2025.