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Mexican Citizen Extradited to U.S. Pleads Guilty to Leading International Heroin and Cocaine Conspiracy
Defendant admits to sending kilo-quantities of narcotics across the United States; faces up to 40 years in prison.
A 56-year-old Mexican national, Norma Flores-Fernandez—also known as Norma Camarillo—has admitted to conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine following her extradition to the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced. Flores-Fernandez pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine.
International Drug Trafficking Ring
Between March 2018 and December 2019, Flores-Fernandez operated as a leader in a Guadalajara, Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that moved kilogram quantities of heroin and cocaine to customers throughout the United States. Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna emphasized that Flores-Fernandez held a leadership role, orchestrating the logistics of shipment and distribution, often across international borders.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of 40 years and a $5 million fine. Sentencing is set for July 23, 2025, when the court will weigh potential mitigating or aggravating factors tied to Flores-Fernandez’s admitted leadership role.
Extradition and Investigation
Flores-Fernandez was apprehended abroad and extradited to the United States thanks to cooperation among:
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Chicago (Special Agent in Charge Sheila G. Lyons) and Newark (Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz).
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Chicago (Director of Field Operations Lafonda Sutton-Burke).
- DEA operations in Lima, Peru and Guadalajara, Mexico.
- Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Chicago.
- Mexican authorities who assisted with Flores-Fernandez’s arrest and extradition.
- U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, which facilitated legal processes leading to her removal to face charges in New Jersey.
Flores-Fernandez’s case forms part of a broader Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, which uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to target high-level transnational criminal organizations. Further information on the program can be found at justice.gov/OCDETF.
The government’s case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. Flores-Fernandez remains in custody pending sentencing, where she faces the significant possibility of decades behind bars, given her admission of a leadership role in a major international narcotics ring.
