FARGO — Nine individuals have been indicted and arrested following a multi-state law enforcement operation for their alleged roles in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy with ties to the Almighty Latin King Nation criminal street gang.

According to information from acting United States Attorney Jennifer Klemestrud Puhl, the nine defendants were arrested on May 15 following their indictment by a federal grand jury in the District of North Dakota.

The defendants arrested are: Ricardo Jaquez, 46, Oakes; Israel David Flores, 45, Audubon, Minn.; Michelle Lee Fuller, 38, Audubon, Minn.; Jose Manuel Jaquez, 36, Oakes; Jacob Edward Lambert, 37 Oakes; Ashley Marie Bleecker, 40, Belcourt; Alfredo Hernandez Jaquez, 47, Wells, Minn.; Wesley Wayne Tolleson, 37, Wells, Minn.; Jason Leonard Gulden, 44, Aberdeen, S.D.

All defendants have made appearances in federal court in North Dakota and face up to life in prison with a 10-year minimum mandatory sentence if convicted.

The case is a part of Operation Crown Down, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in North Dakota and other states. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew P. Kopp.