AXTON, Va. –  A federal grand jury has indicted four Axton residents thought to be members of a notorious Mexican drug cartel. The men belong to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and face federal money laundering charges.

Alejandro Escarcega-Avila, Francisco Alvarez-Rosales, Meliton Alvarez-Rosales and Noe Salvador Becerra-Gonzalez are all citizens of Mexico but live in Axton, Virginia. Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to the indictment, starting in 2018, the four conspired to transfer money from the distribution and manufacture of drugs. The Department of Justice says they transported cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico.

The cartel recruited people from Mexico to live in Axton in order to distribute controlled substances throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

The defendants transmitted large amounts of cash, received as payment for the drugs, to members of the cartel in Mexico.