California heroin dealers who used code words like 'taco' in phone orders get 24 years in prison

Federal prosecutors say two Southern California brothers who ran a heroin-delivery operation that took telephone orders from customers using code words like “taco” have been sentenced to 24 years each in federal prison. Julio and Victor Martinez were sentenced Monday for conspiracy to distribute heroin. They pleaded guilty in August and admitted distributing at least 64 pounds of the drug in Orange County. Authorities say the ring operated from at least 2003 into 2021 and involved couriers smuggling heroin into the U.S. from Mexico. Prosecutors say ''taco" was code for a gram of heroin and “enchilada” meant an ounce. The brothers were targeted under the five-year federal effort, “Operation Horse Caller."