Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Two Sacramento men have been sentenced for their involvement in a drug trafficking organization. U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd handed down the sentences on Monday, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Jose Guadalupe Lopez-Zamora, 30, received a 27-year prison sentence for multiple charges including conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, along with money laundering conspiracy. Joaquin Alberto Sotelo Valdez, 28, was sentenced to 10 years for similar offenses.
Court documents revealed that Lopez-Zamora led the organization responsible for importing fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills from Mexico and distributing them across northern California between May 2019 and January 2021. The group also trafficked cocaine and methamphetamine.
Fourteen other co-defendants have pleaded guilty; eight have already been sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 19 months to over ten years. Additional sentencing is scheduled for July and August 2025.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, among others. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs collaborated with Mexican authorities for extradition efforts related to this case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which targets high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
