Bakersfield Resident Pleads Guilty to Drug Sales from Smoke Shop

FRESNO, Calif. — Abraham Eduardo Navarro Mendez, 39, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 2019, Navarro Mendez was suspected to be selling large quantities of methamphetamine from the Havana Smoke Shop in Bakersfield. On two occasions, law enforcement officers conducted two separate undercover drug transactions with Navarro Mendez, who delivered a total of 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine for $3,750.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Navarro Mendez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana Isabel de Alba on July 17, 2023. Navarro Mendez faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a fine up to $10 million. 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.