SEATTLE (AP) — The Justice Department says the leader of a multinational heroin trafficking organization has been arrested in Mexico and returned to the U.S. to face charges.

U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes said in a Thursday news release 34-year-old Ricardo Ramacho was arrested Tuesday (Aug. 9) near Tijuana, Mexico.

He and four others arrested in Washington state in June have been indicted on drug-trafficking charges.

Ramacho, a U.S. citizen, was transferred to FBI custody and made his initial appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in San Diego.

The others indicted include 25-year-old Alexa Bockmier; 30-year-old Nicholas Bond; and 64-year-old Burrell de Bose, aka "O.G.;" all of Seattle, and 28-year-old Cody Clay of Renton.

Each has pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin.

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