SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a 25-count indictment Thursday charging 10 individuals with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distribution of methamphetamine, and unlawful use of a communication facility, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced.
The defendants are: Vicente Velazquez, 42, of Modesto; Pedro Fuentes, 33, Arnulfo Sanchez, 39, Luis Alberto Fernandez Contreras, 27 all of Yuba City; Leonel Villa Lopez, 44, and Roberto Aguilar Navarro, 43, of Modesto; Ivan Alcaraz, 23, current residence unknown; Edwin Arambulo, 27, of Oroville; Jorge Vega-Macias, 24, of Sacramento; and Victor Hernandez Sosa, 31, current residence unknown.
According to court documents, the defendants were all part of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and cocaine in Butte, Sutter, Sacramento, and Stanislaus Counties.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Yuba-Sutter Narcotics Task (NET‑5), the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task (BINTF), and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Justin L. Lee is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison 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 defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
