A Yucca Valley man and his ex-wife were arrested Wednesday in a massive drug-trafficking raid that targeted 16 people in California, Nebraska, and Mexico. Daniel Dalpezzo, 48, and Charmaine Florio, 53, of Cathedral City, are accused of being major purchasers of methamphetamine with the intent of distributing it. The raid, dubbed Operation Narco Navigator by the Drug Enforcement Administration, ended a two-and-a-half year wiretap investigation that targeted a significant meth distribution network overseen by a Coachella man who was responsible for sending narcotics to local sellers as well as customers out of state. The DEA, with the assistance of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and 13 other law enforcement agencies, seized more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine, four firearms, and nearly $30,000 in cash in the raid. A federal grand jury issued two indictments in the case, one of which named Dalpezzo and Florio, along with 14 others. Daniel Dalpezzo, who has two earlier convictions for possession of meth for sales, and Charmaine Florio are accused of participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to possess with the intent to distribute. If convicted, they face a potential life sentence in federal prison. On May 8, Daniel Dalpezzo was arrested by the Yucca Valley Multiple Enforcement Team in the 56800 block of Desert Gold Drive in Yucca Valley for possession of methamphetamine for sales and committing a crime while on probation for possession of meth for sales. He accepted a plea bargain May 31 to possession of a controlled substance for sales and served 24 days in jail. The main indictment charges 15 defendants, 11 of whom were arrested July 25, 2018, or were already in custody. The charged defendants are:
All 15 defendants named in this indictment are accused of participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. If they were to be convicted, each defendant would face a potential sentence of life in federal prison.
The second indictment unsealed July 25 charges Sills and Salvador Lemus Ramos, also known as “Eddie,” 39, of Palm Springs, who is also a fugitive, with distributing methamphetamine. The indictment describes a transaction in late 2015 in Cathedral City involving two pounds of methamphetamine where the buyer was an undercover DEA agent.
