Kern County Man Sentenced For Conspiracy To Distribute 17 Pounds Of Methamphetamine

FRESNO, Calif. —Jorge Guevara, 35, of Arvin, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill to six years and eight months in prison for a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Guevara attempted to sell 17 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover Kern County Sheriff’s Deputy. On June 26, 2013, Guevara and co-defendant Jerardo Villareal met with the undercover deputy in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in Bakersfield to complete the sale of drugs. Upon their arrest, 17 pounds of methamphetamine was found hidden in the vehicle that the defendants were driving.

On May 30, 2014, Villareal pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to distribute and possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22, 2014. He faces a sentence of five to 40 years in prison and up to a $5 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.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Kern County Sheriff’s Department and the Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Delaney is prosecuting the case.