Two Indicted After Delivering 15 Pounds of Methamphetamine in Kern County

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Oscar Ivan Salazar-Avalos (Salazar), 27, a native and citizen of Mexico, and Jose Manuel Sotelo-Mendoza, aka Jose Manuel Mendoza-Sotelo (Sotelo), 25, of Modesto, charging them with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Salazar and Sotelo delivered 15 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Delano, California after Salazar negotiated for the delivery of the drug for $3,400 per pound.

This case is the product of an investigation by the High Intensity Drug Area Fresno Methamphetamine Task Force, consisting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation, the Fresno Police Department, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the defendants face a minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, along with a $10 million fine for each count. Any sentence, however, would 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.