The FBI stops counterfeiting and narcotics operations in Los Angeles stores amidst fears of possible Hezbollah link.

A multi-agency task force recently arrested a dozen people who face federal charges, including narcotics trafficking, selling counterfeit goods and crimes designed to conceal large sums of cash from authorities.

The arrests are the result of a two-year investigation into criminal conduct in and around clothing stores in the Los Angeles area. The investigation focused on the activities of Ali Khalil Elreda, his siblings and his associates. During the investigation, law enforcement has seized 30 kilograms of cocaine and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit clothing.

The defendants arrested are:

·         Ali Khalil Elreda, 32, of Bell;

·         Mohamad Elreda (Ali's brother), 25, of Bell;

·         Susanne Elreda (Ali's sister), 34, of Smyrna, Georgia;

·         Hussein Saleh Saleh, 37, of Bell;

·         Robert Bell, 36, of Corona;

·         Dalisa Johnson, 37, of Corona;

·         Moussa Matar, 48 , of Cudahy;

·         Mohamad Matar (Moussa's son), 28, of Cudahy;

·         Ali Matar (Mohamad's twin brother), 28, of Cudahy:

·         Juan Gonzalez, 26, of Lynwood;

·         Frankie Higuera, 24, of Downey; and

·         Crystal Hill, 25, of Hawthorne.

Two more defendants in the case - Epifanio Mercado, 29, of Perris, and Ricardo Nava, of El Monte - were arrested previously and there are currently three fugitives in the case: Hassan Saleh Saleh (Hussein's brother), 36; Juan Galindo, of Cudahy; and Alfonso Bernal Barron.

The federal charges are outlined in four criminal complaints and two indictments: The Elreda siblings are named in one complaint that alleges they trafficked in counterfeit goods through a store called Hip Hop Connections. The second complaint charges Alil Elreda and seven others with conspiring to distribute narcotics, specifically cocaine. Mercado and Nava are charged with conspiring to traffic in cocaine in a third complaint. Hussein Saleh Saleh is charged in a complaint with trafficking in counterfeit goods through his store, Star City A & H. One indictment charges Ali Elread and Hassan Saleh with smuggling cash out of the United States. The second indictment charges the Matars with structuring cash transactions to avoid federal reporting requirements.

During the investigation $123,000 was seized from Ali Elreda, who was attempting to smuggle these funds out of the United States inside a child's toy. The maximum penalty for the defendants charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics is life without parole in federal prison. The maximum penalty for the defendants charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods is 10 years in federal prison. The charges related to concealing cash from authorities carry maximum penalties of five years in prison.

But it seems that the takedown was about more than drugs and blue jeans. According to the New York Daily News, the conspirators intended to fund the Lebanese terror organization, Hezbollah. Apparently, one of the defendants, Moussa Matar is charged with structuring financial transactions to conceal assets from the government. Matar also has a connection with one Hassan Khanafer, a fugitive from New York who was charged and convicted of conspiracy and credit card fraud. Sources close to the case said that Khanafar sold the Live Oak Street house where Matar was arrested to Matar at below-market price.

Other Bell Bottom defendants also have apparent connections with Khanafer – one putting up a house as surety for Khanafer’s bond and two brothers accused of trafficking goods through a store named in the indictment (Star City A&H) and attempting to smuggle cash out of the country. It is suspected that proceeds from these transactions are bound for Hebollah.

The task force that dismantled the Elreda criminal operation was comprised of agents and officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, IRS - Criminal Investigation, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The task force received substantial assistance from the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, the California Methamphetamine Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team, Customs and Border Protection, the Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Pomona Police Department, the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department and the Chino Police Department.

An indictment or complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in court.