FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Eduardo Zavala Lopez, 26, of Sylmar, charging him with possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, an undercover officer negotiated with Lopez and a source in Mexico to purchase China white heroin for $34,000 per kilogram. Lopez said the heroin was “synthesized." Lopez traveled to Kingsburg where he met with the undercover officer. Ultimately, two kilograms were found hidden in the left rear passenger door and law enforcement later determined that the substance was a mixture of fentanyl and ketamine.
Fentanyl is a potent and highly toxic synthetic opioid that poses a significant health risks including death.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno Methamphetamine Task Force and the Fresno Area Surveillance Team, made up of officers from the Fresno Police Department, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the California Highway Patrol, and the Kings County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Montoya is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Lopez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
