DEA: 3 men used Airbnb in Royal Oak for distribution of heroin, cocaine

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Three men face federal charges after drug enforcement officers seized heroin and cocaine from an Airbnb rental at a home in Royal Oak.

Jesus Salvador Guerrero-Macias, Ruben Alvarez Jr. and Javier Alejandro Avila-Monge were charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy.

According to the federal indictment, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration became aware of possible drug distribution activity Wednesday at a home on South Maple Avenue.

A consensual search was conducted, and authorities seized about 1 kilogram of suspected heroin and about 1 kilogram of suspected cocaine, according to court records. The drugs were found in FedEx box, and documents found at the scene included a receipt for shipments to an address in Long Beach, California, according to investigators.

Authorities said the property was rented through Airbnb.

The drugs seized have a street value of over $115,000.

Jeff Henry, Airbnb spokesman, released the following statement: 

There have been over 300 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings to date and negative incidents like this are incredibly rare. We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior, we have permanently banned these individuals from our platform and we are fully supporting our host under the Airbnb Host Guarantee program. Our team has also reached out to law enforcement to offer them our assistance with their investigation. The safety of our community is our priority.