Four Solano County members of the so-called Brown Brotherhood gang were indicted last week on drug trafficking and weapons charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.  

Jeremiah I’amafana Salanoa, 22, Doroteo Suastegui, 47, and Leo Alphonzo Alonso-Medina, 32, all of Vallejo, and Carlos Osvaldo Higuera-Aldana, 22, of Dixon, were each indicted separately by a federal grand jury Thursday. 

The Brown Brotherhood gang is a subset of the Sureño gang and has been a frequent target of investigations of the Vallejo Police Department and the Solano County Violent Crime Task Force, prosecutors said.  

“The primary criminal activities of this gang have included murder, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, burglary, and stolen vehicles,” said a release sent out by the DOJ.  

The current investigation began in February 2024 and led to searches and arrests on Feb. 27, 2025. FBI agents and task force officers arrested the four suspects that day for federal drug trafficking and firearms charges. 

Alonso-Medina is charged with alleged distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine, unlawful dealing in firearms, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.  

I’amafana Salanoa is charged with three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  

Suastegui is charged with distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and unlawful dealing in firearms.  

Finally, the indictment against Carlos Osvaldo Higuera-Aldana charges three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.  

All four men are facing life in prison and fines of $10 million each if convicted.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.