SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On Tuesday, United States District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced two Gilroy men for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Sergio Murillo-Valencia, 37, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, and Fabian Figueroa-Ayala, 29, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison.

According to court documents, on August 19, 2010, investigators searched a house in Gilroy where they found more than 610 pounds of crystal methamphetamine. The methamphetamine was found in nearly every room in the house. Ledgers were found throughout the house that detailed the distribution of more than 3,300 pounds of methamphetamine in less than a five-month period.

Figueroa-Ayala was in one of the four bedrooms with more than $300 in cash, ledgers detailing a significant number of methamphetamine transactions, two cellphones, and more than 68 pounds of methamphetamine.

Murillo-Valencia was in another of the four bedrooms with more than $10,200 in cash, a Mexican driver's license with Murillo-Valencia’s picture and a different name, three ledgers and some loose ledger sheets detailing a significant number of methamphetamine transactions, nine cellphones, a laptop computer, a firearm, ammunition, and three money transfer receipts.

Murillo-Valencia and Figueroa-Ayala are the latest of nine defendants to be sentenced in this case. On July 27, 2012, Martin Solorio was sentenced to nine years in prison. Hector Salazar-Borrayo, 44, of Gilroy, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 29, 2012. Roberto Bermudez-Ornelas is scheduled to be sentenced on October 16, 2012.

Charges are pending against the remaining four defendants: Orlando Lara-Penaloza, Joel Lara-Penaloza, Fauso Diaz Lozano, and Jose Francisco Solorio. The charges against those defendants are only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, and the California Department of Justice (Cal-MMET). Assistant United States Attorney Michael M. Beckwith is prosecuting the case.

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