17 charged in major Northern California drug trafficking case

By Richard Ramos

Placer County prosecutors have filed charges against 17 people accused of being part of a large drug trafficking network that officials say distributed hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine monthly across the Greater Sacramento region.

The Placer County District Attorney’s Office said on Monday that it has filed charges that include conspiracy and transportation for sale of large quantities of methamphetamine. The charges stem from an eight-month investigation known as “Operation Meltdown,” led by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, which announced the arrests last week.

The case began in July 2025 after an undercover detective purchased multiple pounds of methamphetamine from a suspected dealer based in North Auburn. The sheriff’s office said the law enforcement operation expanded over several months as investigators identified what they described as “a large-scale trafficking network operating primarily out of Sacramento and supplying drugs into Placer County.”

Investigators believe the organization distributed roughly 500 pounds of methamphetamine each month throughout both Sacramento and Placer counties.

On March 12, nearly two dozen law enforcement agencies from across the region executed search and arrest warrants at 25 locations across the two counties, resulting in several arrests and bookings into the Placer County Jail.

Those charged in the case include Esteban Ortega, 39; Loc Dinh, 33; Robert Stewart, 61; Junior Mai, 27; Alejandro Herrera, 41; Kevin Berry, 51; Laeilia Leffler, 42; Michael Elliot, 41; Julian Montano, 32; Joe Saetern, 28; Shawnray Shermer, 35; Theodore St. Andre, 41; Thomas Wood, 55; Don Wedgeworth, 82; Carl Spinella, 55; Joshua Seaphanh, 19; and Jennifer Lowry, 46.

During the operation, investigators reported seizing 65 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 7 kilograms of cocaine, about half a pound of MDMA, 26 guns, more than $100,000 in cash and what authorities described as a DMT laboratory.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office said some members of the network were allegedly affiliated with a Mexican drug trafficking organization as well as Sacramento-area drug and firearms trafficking gangs.

All 17 defendants have since appeared in court and pleaded not guilty, the district attorney’s office said.