Police arrested a man they say inappropriately touched several girls at a Santa Ana laundromat on Monday.

Alan Alberto Flores, 28, was booked on suspicion of attempted kidnapping, child annoyance and sexual battery, according to Santa Ana Police Department officials and Orange County booking records.

Alan Alberto Flores, 28, is pictured in a Santa Ana Police Department booking photo following his arrest on Sept. 3, 2018.

The incident unfolded just before 1 p.m. at a laundromat on Clara Street, south of McFadden Avenue, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

Flores first tried to touch the shoulder of a girl who was with her mother, but a good Samaritan pushed him away and admonished him, Bertagna said. Flores asked the mother, "Can I have her?" Bertagna said.

Flores then tried to grab another young girl by the hand as she sat next to her father, the corporal said. A good Samaritan again shooed him away.

As he left the laundromat, Flores passed a group of kids. He grabbed several of them on the buttocks as they walked by.

Once arrested, Flores claimed that the girls were flirting with him, Bertagna said. But the video shows them merely trying to pass him on the walkway.

Erica Navarro says she's a regular customer at the laundromat, and the incident left her shaken.

“It’s dangerous," she said. You need to keep an eye on kids. It’s hard when you’re doing laundry, but you need to see clearly.”

Bertagna advised parents to never let their kids out of their sight while in public.

"It only takes a second and poof, these people can have them," Bertagna said.

Police are still trying to find and talk to seeking the girl and father pictured in the video, as well as the good Samaritan who intervened.

Bail for Flores,  whose occupation is listed in booking records as "laborer," has been set at $100,000 pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Wednesday, records show.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified one of the charges Flores was booked on suspicion of. The post has been updated.

Investigators have identified a third alleged victim of a Santa Ana man they say raped and molested three  children over the past 21 years.

Javier Ortiz Pichardo, 45, faces up to 416 years in state prison if convicted of 24  felony sex crime charges, ranging from aggravated sexual assault on a child to forcible rape, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said in a written statement. Prosecutors filed the case Tuesday.

Javier Ortiz Pichardo, 45, of Santa Ana, pictured in a Santa Ana Police Department booking photo following his arrest on Aug. 30, 2018.

Santa Ana Police Department investigators arrested him last week on suspicion of years-long sexual abuse of a boy and a girl dating back to 1997.

Prosecutors since identified a third alleged victim, a girl who the suspect is accused of molesting in 2002. And they're asking anyone else who may have been victimized by the suspect to come forward.

Pichardo is charged with abusing the first victim between 1997 and 2001, the district attorney's office said. The victims are described in court documents as "John Doe," "Jane Doe 1" and "Jane Doe 2," to protect their identities.

"(He) is accused of befriending John Doe's family family at a Chinese restaurant, where the defendant was employed as a cook," the D.A.'s office statement said.

Authorities said the crimes took place in the restaurant's bathroom, at the victim's home and in the suspect's car. The boy was no older than 10 when the alleged abuse began. The family eventually fell out of contact with Pichardo.

"(Pichardo) is further accused of threatening to harm John Doe if he ever told someone about these acts," the statement said.

The investigation also found Pichardo sexually abused a young female relative starting in 2009, when she was 7 years old, Santa Ana police said in a written statement.

The most recent alleged attack was reported late last month, according to prosecutors. The girl was 7 years old when the crimes started.

And Pichardo is now charged with molesting another 9-year-old girl in 2002.

The investigation began recently when the alleged male victim, who is now an adult, spotted Pichardo at a McDonald's restaurant, police said. The man got the suspect's license plate number and called the police.

Pichardo is scheduled to return to appear in court for an arraignment hearing Sept. 21, county booking records show. Bail has been set at $1 million.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Santa Ana police Detective Jessica Guidry at 714-245-8530, or by email at jguidry@santa-ana.org. Tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.

A 17-year-old girl was taken into custody on suspicion of manslaughter just hours after a deadly shooting in Santa Ana early Thursday morning, according to police.

Officers found a man lying in the street somewhere in the 1000 block of West Richland Avenue after police responded to the scene at 1:18 a.m., authorities said. He had suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body, according to police.

Just 10 minutes later, about 1:28 a.m., paramedics at the scene pronounced him dead, police said.

The girl, who was taken to Orange County Juvenile Hall, is suspected in the crime “based on facts and evidence” found by investigators, police said in a statement. She was arrested at her home in the city of Orange.

Detectives are still waiting to have forensic analysis performed on some of the evidence but they believe a weapon recovered from the scene was used in the fatal shooting.

While people who live in the area reported hearing a single gunshot, none of them actually witnessed the shooting, police said in a statement. A man and woman who were with the victim at the time were detained by police.

Authorities also found a vehicle nearby that police believe was involved in the incident.

While investigators do have some insight into “the chain of events that led to the shooting,” police said in a statement, they are not releasing further details.

Homicide detectives with the Santa Ana Police Department have not determined a motive as they continue to investigate.

The fallout over allegations of racism at a recent Orange County high school football game erupted on social media over the weekend, reflecting the broader tension gripping the country in the Trump era.

The disputed incidents occurred at Friday night’s contest between Aliso Niguel and Santa Ana high schools, during which Santa Ana Principal Jeff Bishop became upset by what he saw as racially tinged intimidation by Aliso Niguel students.

In Facebook posts after the game, Bishop described signs expressing support for President Trump and proclaiming “We love White” and “Build the Wall,” a reference to Trump’s pledge to build a barrier along the border between the United States and Mexico.

“This is no different than our national discourse, but this is one principal who is not going to stand for it,” Bishop told The Times on Sunday.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

A suspected burglar is dead, and two others were sent to a hospital after a brief pursuit ended in a crash in Santa Ana Tuesday night.

The incident began about 11 p.m. when a deputy noticed someone near a Tustin 7-Eleven store running toward a vehicle, Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

The vehicle took off at a high rate of speed and the deputy followed, thinking a robbery or other crime had just occurred, Bertagna said.

There was a short pursuit, but the deputy eventually lost the vehicle, described as a white Infiniti.

The Infiniti continued into Santa Ana, where it lost control after it hit a dip in the road while traveling at about 100 mph near South Lyon Street and East Chestnut Avenue.

The driver, identified as 20-year-old Ge’onte Ray Charles Sessions, lost control and crashed head-on into a tree, officials said.

The front passenger died at the scene, Bertagna said. Police identified him as 19-year-old Luis Arreguin, also of Los Angeles.

Sessions and the rear passenger, Travon McNeil, had to be extricated from the vehicle and were sent to a trauma center, authorities said.

Francisco Rivera told KTLA he lives near the crash scene and rushed to help.

"When we came out, the car was kind of on fire. So the first think I thought was taking the fire extinguisher and taking out the fire," he said.

"We heard noises from the back seats of the SUV, and there was one person trying to get out, but it was impossible for him to get out," Rivera said.

Neighbors said if the car had not been stopped by a tree, it likely would have plowed into a nearby apartment building.

Investigators later determined the occupants were involved in a burglary at a boutique near the 7-Eleven in Tustin that sells designer purses and shoes, Bertagna said.

“We have found numerous items that appear to have been taken in a burglary,” he said.

New cell phones and other items found in the vehicle led investigators to believe the suspects had been involved in other crimes prior to burglarizing the boutique, Bertagna said.

It was unclear if the Infiniti had also been stolen.

Since the crash resulted in a death, Sessions may face charges including vehicular manslaughter, Bertagna said.

"They were fleeing from the officers - a high-speed pursuit - which led to the death of the front passenger of this vehicle. So the driver in this case can be held responsible for that death," he told KTLA.

Sessions was also wanted on a warrant for robbery in Los Angeles, officials said.

Eight people were arrested after a SWAT team carried out a raid at a Santa Ana internet cafe Thursday afternoon as part of an investigation targeting gang activity and guns, authorities said.

Officers showed up in force at the Happy Times Cyber Internet Cafe along 17th Street, near Bristol Street.

Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said detectives suspect there's been more going on there than video games. Authorities began investigating two weeks ago after numerous complaints from residents and business owners about criminal activity in connection with the café.

"In the last 14 days, we've arrested multiple documented gang members for various crimes, five of which were in possession of firearms," he said. "Many of those, parolees or probationers in possession of firearms."

"We're using SWAT because of the large amount of weapons that we've gotten from people coming in and out of this location," Bertagna added.

Officers detained and questioned 54 people inside the business.

"They came in here with a speaker, saying it's a raid and I don't know what. To put your hands up," said one man who was questioned and released but wished to remain unidentified.

Many were promptly let go, but eight were arrested by the end of the night, Bertagna said.

Police did not release further information about those taken into custody, saying only that they were arrested either on suspicion of narcotics offenses or on outstanding warrants.

Officers also found several illegal gaming machines inside the business, and are now looking into that.

The investigation was first prompted by complaints from the community, officials said. Some passers-by stopped to cheer on the bust.

Marcus McBride, who was on his way into the business when the raid began, said he hasn't seen anything suspicious there.

"Just a lot of video game playing, you know, that’s it. Music, video game playing, and you redeem for prizes," he said.

But others who live in the area said it was drawing gangs, drugs and guns to their neighborhood.

"One of my neighbors said she came out and confronted somebody one night, and the guy just lifted his waistband and showed her a gun," one woman said.

Authorities were searching for a possible homicide suspect at a home in Santa Ana after police initially arrived to serve a search warrant on suspicion of the home being an illegal gambling house Friday afternoon, police officials told KTLA.

Several people were detained in the search, officials said.

Around 4 p.m., officers with the Garden Grove Police Department were just getting ready to serve the warrant when they were told there were people with guns inside — including a possible homicide suspect, Lt. Carl Whitney said. The home is located in the 900 block of South Bewley Street.

SWAT officers were called to the scene and several people were detained, Whitney said just before 6:30 p.m. At the time, police were still searching through crawl spaces to make sure there was no one left hiding, he said.

Although the incident took place in Santa Ana, Garden Grove police were leading the response. However, a sergeant and K-9 unit with the Santa Ana Police Department were also responding to the scene, according to the department's public information officer, Corporal Anthony Bertagna.

No other details about the possible homicide suspect or his or her case were released by police.

KTLA's Nidia Becerra contributed to this article.

Investigators suspect a car that crashed and caught fire in Santa Ana may have been involved in a street race when the driver struck a boulder and lost control.

The crash was reported about 12:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of Ritchey Street, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Erik Miranda said.

Arriving firefighters found the car fully engulfed in flames, Miranda said.

After dousing the blaze, crews determined the vehicle had likely been involved in a street race and crashed at a high rate of speed.

“We have indicators that the vehicle lost control, hit a rock on the side of the road and then spun out,” Miranda said.

At least one occupant got out of the vehicle and fled the scene before the car burst into flames.

Firefighters did not find anyone inside the car, Miranda said.

Any other vehicles involved in the incident also fled the scene.

An 18-year-old man died after getting trapped in machinery in Santa Ana, fire officials said.

The incident occurred about 11:15 a.m. at a clay manufacturing company in the 1400 block of East Pomona Street, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

The man was working when he got caught in a piece of machinery.

About two minutes after the incident, a fellow employee found the victim and tried to get him out, to no avail.

Responding firefighters declared the victim dead at the scene.

Rescuers were working on dismantling the equipment to try and get the victim out.

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be investigating the incident.

Authorities are trying to determine whether a string of gas station robberies that happened over two hours late Sunday and early Monday in Orange County are connected.

The first armed robbery occurred about 10:50 p.m. Sunday at the Shell gas station at 2641 N. Bristol St. in Santa Ana. The clerk told officers a man with a handgun entered the convenience store and demanded money, Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

Bertagna said the suspect, who was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, ran from the store and fled in a dark vehicle.

Roughly 10 minutes later, authorities received another armed robbery report in Santa Ana.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

Officers arrested a man suspected of being behind a series of armed robberies in Santa Ana — targeting two video game stores and two gas stations — before arresting a woman suspected of being his getaway driver, police said Tuesday.

Fernando Velasquez is accused of committing four armed robberies spanning from last Wednesday until this past Sunday, with Lizeth Carrillo believed to be the getaway driver for the crimes, according to police. Investigators believe the pair could have committed other robberies in the Orange County area.

Fernando Velasquez is seen in a photo released by the Santa Ana Police Department on Sept. 25, 2018.

Velasquez was arrested in the 400 block of Maple Street about 10 p.m. on Monday while Carrillo was taken into custody about 6:30 a.m. the following morning. Both are residents of Santa Ana.

The first of the robberies happened about 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday, when the suspect entered a GameStop store located at 1030 South Main Street and simulated having a weapon before leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police.

The pair targeted another GameStop store — this time, one located at 2860 South Bristol Street — the following night around 8:45 p.m., police said. Again, the suspect simulated having a weapon before leaving the store with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Lizeth Carrillo is seen in a photo released by the Santa Ana Police Department on Sept. 25, 2018.

Four days later, on Sunday, the suspect entered the Shell gas station located 2641 North Bristol Street, police said. But this time, the suspect brandished a black handgun before leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police.

Surveillance video of that robbery, released by Santa Ana police on Youtube, shows the suspect walk into the gas station wearing all black. He is seen talking to the cashier as he starts to pull the hood of his sweatshirt over his head before tossing something onto the counter. The cashier picks up the item as the suspect continues talking.

A moment later, the cashier hands over what appears to be a clear plastic bag filled with bundles of cash and then the suspect walks out of the store.

Just half an hour later that same night, the suspect entered the USA Gasoline station located at 2730 West McFadden Avenue and again brandished a black handgun before leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police.

The police officers who arrested Velasquez had been told by detectives that he was suspected in the robbery spree. Once Velasquez was in custody, detectives were called in to take over the investigation.

After that, the investigators determined Carrillo had acted as the getaway driver and she was arrested Tuesday morning, according to police.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Prewett at 714-245-8323 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.

A man is suffering from severe burns to his body and face after another man threw corrosive substance at him while he was walking to his parked car on Tuesday in Santa Ana, police said.

The suspect was standing next to a small, dark-colored vehicle next to the victim’s vehicle near 700 block of East Fourth Street around 6:20 p.m., Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. The suspect was wearing a hoodie and a bandana covering the bottom portion of his face.

The victim walking to his car saw a white container on top of his hood and asked the suspect if it was his container, and asked him to move it from his vehicle. The suspect picked up the container and threw an unknown liquid at the victim, Bertagna said.

The liquid was made up of corrosive material, possibly acid-like, that caused severe second degree burns to the victim’s face and body, according to the corporal. The victim was transported to the Orange County Global Medical Center.

Authorities have only described the victim as a Hispanic man.

The Orange County Fire Authority is determining the origin of the substance.

Police haven’t said whether the attacker has been arrested.

KTLA’s Chip Yost contributed to this report.

A man charged Wednesday with having a large amount of illegal narcotics, among them the extremely potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, that he intended to sell stashed inside a Santa Ana home, federal prosecutors said.

Guillermo Ernesto Sanchez Hermosillo, 41, was already incarcerated in an Orange County jail on state charges when he was named in a five-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release.

An investigation was launched after authorities were tipped off that the defendant was trafficking drugs, officials said.

On July 31, Huntington Beach police and a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives went to his apartment to conduct a probation compliance check. At the time, the defendant was on probation after being convicted in a domestic violence case in March, prosecutors said.

Three minors were in the apartment when authorities showed up, including a 3-week-old baby, investigators said.

The search turned up 2,722 grams of methamphetamine, 1,992 grams of heroin and 891 grams of fentanyl, wrapped in plastic in a bedroom closet, officials said.

A .45-caliber Glock handgun and eight rounds of ammunition were also seized.

Upon the discovery of the weapon and drugs, Hermosillo was taken into custody by local authorities.

On Wednesday, he was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Because the amount of drugs seized was so large, the defendant’s will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each drug-trafficking charge, and could face a life sentence, prosecutors said.

ATF and Huntington Beach police are continuing to investigate the case.

Investigators have released a description of a man officials  say burned another man with some sort of acid in Santa Ana earlier this week.

The victim remains hospitalized with severe burns to his face, chest, an arm and a leg, Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

The attacker was a Latino man, about 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, according to the corporal. He wore a blue hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a bandanna covering the lower part of his face.

The substance thrown onto the victim was some type of acid, though authorities have yet to identify a specific chemical, Orange County Fire Authority Captain Tony Bommarito said.

The victim was returning to his car when the attack occurred about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday in the 700 block of East 4th Street, police said.

He noticed a white container sitting on the hood of his car, Bertagna said. There was a small, dark-colored car parked next to the victims, with the attacker standing beside it.

"The victim asked the subject if the container was his and to move it from his vehicle," Bertagna said. "The subject picked up container and threw an unknown liquid at the victim."

The "corrosive material" caused second-degree burns, officials said. The injured man was taken to a hospital for treatement and an OCDA hazardous material crew responded to investigate.

In a 911 call, a man who identified himself as the victim's employer said the victim was covered in a black substance.

"We have no idea what it is, but his skin... his skin is turning white. There's some red burn marks underneath," the caller said.

A fire dispatcher advised the victim to strip off his clothes and rinse as much of the substance off as possible while paramedics responded. She also advised the victim to avoid inhaling fumes from the chemical, and to store his clothes in a safe place for investigators.

Anyone with information can reach Santa Ana police at 714-245-8665.

A rare 1980 basketball card featuring both Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in their rookie years has fetched a record-setting price. The card, which was valued by an Orange County company, was sold via eBay. Chip Yost reports for the KTLA 5 News at 6 on Sept. 28, 2018.

A Santa Ana youth pastor was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of violently sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in his church's bathroom during a service earlier this year, police said.

Jonathan Lamont Jenkins, a 57-year-old Riverside resident, allegedly began harassing the girl at the beginning of 2018, making sexual advances toward her when she was just 12 years old, Santa Ana police said in a news release.

Jonathan Lamont Jenkins, 57, is seen in a booking photo released Oct. 3, 2018, by the Santa Ana Police Department.

The victim attends Starlight Baptist Church, at 1201 W. Second St., where Jenkins has worked as a youth pastor for the last two years. The suspect has been a parishioner there since 2012, officials said.

The sexual assault occurred sometime this March, after the victim went to use the restroom during service.

The girl entered a bathroom she thought was empty and found Jenkins inside, waiting for her, according to police. She then tried to escape, but he allegedly held her against her will.

Jenkins is accused of strangling and sexually assaulting her after threatening her with physical violence.

The girl didn't immediately come forward to authorities with her story, and continued attending the same church.

When she saw Jenkins there on Aug. 5, he allegedly confronted her and mocked her about the sexual assault. He also told her he would tell police she allowed him to sexually assault her if she reported the incident, investigators said.

Officials did not say when exactly the assault was reported.

Once it was, an investigation was launched. Detectives said they obtained evidence against Jenkins, but didn't provide details on what it entails.

The suspect was arrested Tuesday as he was going into a liquor store in Santa Ana, police said.

He was being held on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of a child and other child abuse crimes at the Orange County Jail on $1 million bail.

Jenkins also has a “long criminal history,” according to Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, who said his previous convictions include robbery, burglary, criminal threats and narcotics violations.

Because of that, and other factors, detectives believe the youth pastor could have additional victims, Bertagna said.

“The way he handled this child, in the manner he handled this child, in the location he handled this child, leads them to believe that potentially there are other victims out there,” he told KTLA.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Nick Vega at 714-245-8368 or nvega@santa-ana.org. Anonymous tips may be submitted via Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6277.

Jonathan Lamont Jenkins, 57, is seen in a booking photo released Oct. 3, 2018, by the Santa Ana Police Department.

Prosecutors are looking for any possible additional victims of a Santa Ana youth pastor accused of repeatedly molesting a young girl during services.

Prosecutors filed five felony charges Thursday against Jonathan Lamont Jenkins, 56, of Riverside, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a written statement. He faces up to 90 years in state prison if convicted as charged.

He has been working as a youth pastor at the Starlight Baptist Church in Santa Ana for about two years, and a church member since 2012, according the Santa Ana Police Department.

He first targeted the victim, who was 12 years old at the time, in January, prosecutors said. He allegely touched the girl’s buttocks while she was at church.

“Sometime in March 2018, the victim was attending service when she went to what she believed to be an empty restroom,” Santa Ana police officials said in a statement. “Jenkins was inside the restroom waiting for the victim. The victim attempted to escape, but Jenkins held her against her will. Jenkins threatened the victim with physical violence before (choking) and sexually assaulting the victim.”

Jenkins then attempted to commit lewd acts on the girl in April, and committed another molestation in July, district attorney’s officials said.

The victim did not report what had happened and continued attending the church, police said.

“On August 5, 2018, Jenkins contacted the victim at church and mocked her about the sexual assault,” the police statement said. “Jenkins told the victim if she reported this to the police, he would say she allowed the sexual assault to occur.”

The girl ultimately came forward, officials said. Santa Ana police launched an investigation and arrested Jenkins Tuesday.

He has prior felony conviction for robbery in Los Angeles County in 1983 and burglary in Orange County in 1986, prosectors added.

Investigators are now seeking any additional people who may have been victimized by Jenkins, prosecutors said. As a youth pastor, he has been in a position of trust with access to children.

Jenkins was scheduled to be make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon. Bail has been set at $1 million.

The owner of Rice Drywall in Santa Ana claims trash left behind by the homeless is costing her fines as she blasts the city's response to the problem. Chip Yost reports for the KTLA 5 News at 6 on Oct. 8, 2018.

A man released on bail after being detained on allegations of sexually assaulting children while employed as an after-school instructor in Santa Ana has been rearrested after another victim came forward, authorities said Wednesday.

Santa Ana police said they first arrested Eddy Bustamante Infante at his home on Oct. 5 after three female individuals—including a 12-year-old— reported being sexually abused by the suspect. He was booked on $1,000,000 bail, the agency said.

The 12-year-old victim said Infante assaulted her during an after-school program two years ago but did not immediately report the incident.

Infante, 23, has been working as a teacher’s aide at the Greenville Elementary School in Santa Ana since 2015, according to Santa Ana police.

Authorities identified two additional victims after launching an investigation, the agency said.

Infante posted bail and was released the day after he was arrested, Orange County Sheriff’s Department records show.

On Oct. 9, detectives said they learned about another 9-year-old girl who was also sexually assaulted by the man during the after-school program. Authorities arrested Infante the next day.

He was booked at the Orange County Jail on $5,000,000 bail.

Santa Ana police said they were working with the Santa Ana Unified School District to identify any additional victims.

Individuals with information can contact Detective Jessica Guidry at 714-245-8530, jguidry@santa-ana.org or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

Officials on Tuesday arrested eight Southern Californians in connection with an alleged scheme to ship drugs disguised as Aztec artifacts to Hawaii.

Four Garden Grove residents—Vaimanino Lee Pomele,  Alejandra Pomele, Fernando Caballero Rascon, James Arnold Borbon—were detained Tuesday along with Felix Salgado of Perris, Gary Wayne Minter of Victorville, Stephen Dgewell Martin of Anaheim and Moises Rey Avina of Santa Ana, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Prosecutors accused the group, including a ninth person already in custody on an a separate case, of conspiring to send 11.7 kilograms of methamphetamine to Hawaii from a Garden Grove post office on July 17.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California released this image on Oct. 16, 2018 of methamphetamine disguised to look like Aztec artifacts.

“Those drugs were part of a nearly 90-pound shipment that appeared to be colorful, decorative Mexican items, including replicas of the 500-year-old Aztec calendar stone,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Members of the crew also allegedly sent two other packages to Hawaii over the past year, one with about two pounds of meth and another with nearly five pounds of the substance.

Authorities managed to intercept all three shipments, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Martin, the 30-year-old Anaheim man named in the indictment, was accused of dropping off the package disguised as decorative Aztec items to the post office in July.

Salgado, 28, procured wholesale quantities of the drugs for the group from German Bastidas Nunez, a 46-year-old Moreno Valley man who was already in custody, prosecutors said.

Officials believed Minter, 55, used his Victorville home as a stash house, while Vaimanino Pomele, 49, was accused of orchestrating the shipments to Hawaii.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California released this image on Oct. 16, 2018 of methamphetamine disguised to look like Aztec artifacts.

Avina, 39, and Rascon, 42, allegedly bought drugs from Vaimanino Pomele. His wife, Alejandra, delivered drugs to a customer on at least one occasion, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Borbon, 58, was a customer of the drug ring, according to prosecutors.

The eight people arrested on Tuesday morning were scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Ana on Tuesday afternoon.

If convicted as charged, each defendant could face at least five years in federal prison.

Federal drug and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials continued to investigate the case with the Cypress Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.