Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Jose Miguel Perez, a 42-year-old resident of Corona, California, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Kirk E. Sherriff following Perez's conviction for possessing more than five kilograms of cocaine and over one kilogram of heroin with the intent to distribute.
The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. According to court documents, law enforcement officers stopped Perez while he was driving north on Interstate 5 in Fresno County. During the stop, deputies discovered a total of 56 kilograms of various narcotics concealed within two hidden compartments in his vehicle.
Specifically, seven kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in the car's ceiling. Additionally, another compartment located in the roof contained 37 kilograms of cocaine, 10 kilograms of heroin, and two kilograms of ketamine.
The investigation leading to Perez's arrest and subsequent conviction was conducted by the Fresno County Sheriff's Office in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple prosecuted the case.
