Bakersfield Drug Trafficker Pleads Guilty

FRESNO, Calif. — Ramon Maldonado Jr., 33, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, psilocybin, and marijuana, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 10, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at a residence in Bakersfield that served as a stash house. The residence was set up as a shop for the sale of psychedelic drugs (psilocybin mushrooms) and marijuana. A stolen firearm was found in the sales area. Maldonado was found in bed in one of the bedrooms, where agents located a bag of psilocybin mushrooms, a plastic tote containing psilocybin and marijuana wax and edibles, another tote containing jars and bags of marijuana, a clear plastic bag of heroin, a clear plastic bag containing fentanyl, bindles of fentanyl and heroin, and a Ruger .22‑caliber rifle with an inserted magazine. In another bedroom, agents located fentanyl, including a kilogram “brick” of fentanyl with a Louis Vuitton imprint. In the kitchen, agents found a clear plastic bag containing methamphetamine near five semi-automatic pistol magazines.

In total, agents seized 5.5 pounds of fentanyl, 25.9 pounds of psilocybin, 23.4 pounds of marijuana, 20 ounces of heroin, and 1.15 ounces of methamphetamine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Kern County Probation Office Gang Unit and Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Maldonado is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Aug. 4, 2025. Maldonado faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, along with a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.