Federal Jury Returns Guilty Verdicts Against Two Members of a Firearm and Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

After a three-day trial, a federal jury found Angel Lopez, 47, of Southern California, guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and Rochlem Eric Aquino Yadao, 48, of Santa Maria, guilty of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

According to court documents and evidence produced at trial, Lopez and Yadao were involved in conspiracies to traffic drugs and guns respectively. In March 2020, Angel Lopez negotiated the sale of 5 pounds of methamphetamine and directed others to complete the deal. Later, in a dark parking lot outside Disneyland, Lopez’s associate delivered the methamphetamine to the buyer. Shortly after the drug transaction, nearby law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop and seized the drugs. The methamphetamine was packaged in five individual plastic bags, with two of the bags containing “blue” methamphetamine.

Also in 2020, several individuals conspired to deal firearms without a license in Fresno, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties. Throughout the firearm dealing conspiracy, agents seized firearms and ammunition from four different gun deals between March and August of 2020. In April 2020, members of the firearm dealing conspiracy arranged for the sale of two AR-style rifles. The deal took place at Yadao’s residence in Santa Maria. Yadao personally stored and delivered the firearms at his house and took cash payment for the weapons. Both guns were “ghost guns,” and did not have serial numbers. Yadao did not have a license to deal firearms. The guns were seized by law enforcement shortly after the deal occurred.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Department of Justice, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie M. Stokman and Cody S. Chapple are prosecuting the case.

Lopez and Yadao are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on Aug. 25, 2025. Lopez faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Yadao faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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 about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.