The indictment alleges that the drug ring was headed by Rigoberto Sanchez Martinez, 36, of Perris, who obtained wholesale quantities of narcotics, oversaw their storage, and coordinated distribution of the drugs to locations that included the states of Washington and New York.
Martinez was one of the eight defendants arrested Thursday.
The first major seizure in the investigation, according to the indictment, was on May 25, 2018, when authorities recovered about 120 pounds of meth, nearly 2.2 pounds of cocaine and more than 55 pounds of marijuana from a stash house near Whittier High School that was allegedly maintained by defendants Rogelio Barajas, 39, who is a fugitive, and Irene Equigua, 40, who was arrested Thursday.