Two West Virginia Men & A Salvadoran National Plead Guilty To Drug Offenses
Sunday, June 1, 2025, 7:15 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
MARTINSBURG, W.VA.- Three men, a 55-year-old Martinsburg, West Virginia, man, a 38-year-old Ranson, West Virginia, man, and a 38-year-old El Salvadoran national are each facing up to 40 years in federal prison after pleading guilty for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for flooding Berkeley and Jefferson Counties with cocaine.
On Friday, May 30, 2025, Juan Carlos Suarez-Lugo, 55, of Martinsburg, Alexis Alvarado, 38, of Ranson, and Mauricio Antonio Alvarado-Flores, 38, a Salvadoran national illegally residing in West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District for the Northern District of West Virginia and plead guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble to federal narcotics violations.
All Three Plead Guilty
Suarez-Lugo and Alvarado each pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine; and Distribution of 500 Grams or More of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine. Alvarado-Flores pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 Grams or More of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine; Distribution of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine; and Distribution of 500 Grams or More of a Controlled Substance, Cocaine; and one count of Illegal Reentry into the United States by a Previously Deported Alien.
Following entering their guilty pleas, Judge Trumble accepted the pleas and scheduled sentencing for a date and time to be determined by the District Court. At that time, Suarez-Lugo, Alvarado, and Alvarado-Flores each face a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison. In addition to the term of imprisonment on the drug charge, Alvarado-Flores faces an additional term of up to two years in federal prison for the illegal reentry offense.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher and charging documents filed with the District Court, Suarez-Lugo, Alvarado, and Alvarado-Flores, along with 15 others, were indicted last year by a Federal Grand Jury for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking organization that operated out of a Martinsburg, West Virginia. The organization was responsible for the distribution of large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine throughout Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and elsewhere in the Northern District of West Virginia.
The organization imported large quantities of illicit narcotics from Puerto Rico through the U.S. Postal Service, as well as a source connected to the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect the nation’s communities from perpetrators of violent crime.
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