Mexican National Residing in Bakersfield Sentenced to Prison for Selling 12 Pounds of Methamphetamine

FRESNO, Calif. — Rodolfo Cardenas-Lara, 44, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Bakersfield who has been removed from the United States on five occasions, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for unlawfully distributing methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

On July 16, 2021, co-defendant Cesar Larios-Ortega, 40, also a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Bakersfield, was sentenced to seven years in prison.

According to court documents, during two meetings in May 2019, Cardenas-Lara and Larios-Ortega sold 12 pounds of methamphetamine to a customer in Kern County at a negotiated price of $1,750 per pound.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker prosecuted the case.