Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Pedro Cerna Arias, a 62-year-old Mexican national living in Milpitas, has been sentenced to five years and ten months in prison. U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta handed down the sentence for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that on April 9, 2020, Cerna Arias sold about one kilogram of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Milpitas. This transaction was initially arranged between the officer and a drug trafficker based in Mexico. On October 8, 2021, law enforcement searched Cerna Arias's home and discovered approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine, along with other items such as drug ledgers and $6,165 in cash. Cerna Arias admitted ownership of the methamphetamine and acknowledged distributing it in pound quantities.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), with support from Customs and Border Protection, the California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer prosecuted the case.
Co-defendant Jose Moreno Albestrain received a ten-year prison sentence on December 19, 2024, also from Judge Calabretta for similar charges related to methamphetamine distribution.
This case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative which aims to establish multi-agency task force teams working together to tackle significant drug traffickers and criminal organizations. The Sacramento Strike Force focuses on identifying and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations operating within the Eastern District of California.
