Heroin dealers who used code words “taco,” “enchilada” sentenced to prison

Two brothers from Southern California have been sentenced to 24 years each in federal prison for running a heroin-delivery operation.

The brothers used code words like “taco” and “enchilada” to take phone orders from customers.

Driving the news: Julio Cesar Martinez, 45, and Victor Martinez, 46, were sentenced on Monday. 

• They had previously pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute heroin, acknowledging that they distributed at least 64 pounds in Orange County. 
• The operation ran from September 2003 to July 2021 and involved smuggling heroin from Mexico into the US by hiding it in couriers’ body cavities.
• Call centers operated out of workers’ homes, and customers used the names of Mexican foods to place drug orders. 
• One customer died from a heroin overdose in Orange County in 2016.
• Other members of the ring deposited money in bank accounts in amounts of $10,000 or less to avoid federal reporting requirements.