FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today charging Victor Torres-Romero, 24, of Ceres, and Luis Bartolo Madriz-Sandoval, 32, of Everett, Wash., with conspiring to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency, California Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement (CAL-MMET), and Modesto Narcotics Enforcement (MNET). Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen A. Servatius is prosecuting the case.
According to court records, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Torres-Romero’s Ceres residence on May 7, 2013 after Madriz-Sandoval delivered a shipment of methamphetamine there. During the execution of the search warrant, agents found and seized approximately 290 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, $66,291 cash, and a dismantled methamphetamine conversion laboratory.
If convicted, the defendants face a statutory penalty of 10 years up to life in prison, a mandatory five-year and up to life term of supervised release, and a $10 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
