Grand jury indicts 3 on drug charges

From staff reports
Published: April 28, 2008

Two months after a drug bust on Peyton Drive nabbed several suspects, a federal grand jury has handed down indictments charging three Charlottesville men in connection with a cocaine operation.
Arturo Miron Garcia, 24, Renaldo Garcia Juarez, 27, and Julio Cesar Ruiz Ayala, 33, were charged with one count each of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of mixtures containing cocaine and distributing five or more grams of cocaine.
The Jefferson Area Drug Enforcement task force conducted a “buy/bust operation” the morning of March 19 in the 2300 block of Peyton Drive that netted more than a half kilo of cocaine, according to authorities. The task force said the cocaine’s estimated street worth was $56,000.
Sgt. John Baber of the task force said the “mid- to upper-level operation” was running for several months.
The indictment said the conspiracy charge relates to incidents between January and mid-March.
Juarez also was charged with two more counts alleging that he distributed five or more grams of cocaine on Feb. 21 and March 14. If he is convicted of all charges, he faces up to 100 years in prison and/or a $3 million fine.
If Garcia and Ayala are convicted on all counts, they each face up to 60 years in prison and/or a $3 million fine.