Mother And Son Sentenced To Federal Prison For Trying To Sell More Than 50 Pounds Of Crystal Methamphetamine

FRESNO, Calif. — United States District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill sentenced Patricia Renteria, 40, and her son Steve Renteria, 21, both of Cathedral City, to five years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to possess and distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, Steve Renteria began negotiating to sell 50 pounds of methamphetamine to a source in Fresno. Patricia and Steven along with Patricia’s 17 year old son, came to Fresno in April 2013 to meet with the source, and deliver the methamphetamine. After meeting with the source Patricia and Steve were taken into custody and more than 50 pounds of crystal methamphetamine that testing determined to be 99.3 percent pure was seized from Steve Renteria’s vehicle.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Fresno Methamphetamine Task Force, which is made up of agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), California Highway Patrol, California Department of Justice, Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Montoya prosecuted the case.