Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Jose Angel Beltran-Chaidez, a 69-year-old Mexican national living in Bakersfield, has been sentenced to two years in prison for possessing heroin with the intent to distribute. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that in January 2022, Beltran-Chaidez acted under the direction of his brother, Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, 55, also a Mexican national. He delivered over two pounds of heroin to Jorge Calderon-Campos, 44, another Mexican national residing in Bakersfield. The drugs were intended for distribution. However, when Calderon-Campos failed to sell the heroin, Beltran-Chaidez retrieved it and was found with the drugs during a traffic stop by a California Highway Patrol officer.
Both Calderon-Campos and Antonio Beltran-Chaidez had previously pleaded guilty and received sentences of eight years and one month and three years and ten months in prison respectively.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Additional support came from several other federal and local agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Land Management, Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Kern County Probation Department, and Bakersfield Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case which was part of an effort under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). This initiative aims to identify and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach.
For further information on OCDETF's efforts visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.