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Press Release

Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to Nearly 16 Years in Federal Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Idaho

Cesar Delfin-Cervantes, 28, of Salem, Oregon, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.

According to court records, Delfin-Cervantes was a leader in a multi-state and international drug trafficking organization. His father, Juan Carlos-Delfin, was also a member of the drug trafficking organization. Law enforcement’s investigation revealed that the organization arranged for large shipments of methamphetamine to be delivered through a network of couriers from Mexico to California and then to Salem, Oregon, where Delfin-Cervantes and his father resided. From there, Delfin-Cervantes organized delivery of the drugs to the Treasure Valley area. Over a span of approximately five months, investigators seized over 215 pounds of methamphetamine from the drug trafficking organization. Over a period of approximately two years, the organization transported and sold hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine.  

Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered Delfin-Cervantes to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Delfin-Cervantes’ father was convicted in the District of Idaho of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute after a federal jury trial in December of 2025 and is set for sentencing on April 21, 2026. Delfin-Cervantes’ sister, Esmeralda Delfin-Cervantes, is also alleged to be a member of the drug trafficking organization and has federal drug trafficking charges pending in the District of Oregon. 

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (the Boise and Salem Resident Agencies), the Nampa Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, the Boise Police Department, the Meridian Police Department, the Oregon High Desert Drug Task Force, the Salem Police Department, and the Oregon State Police, which led to the charges.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Morse and Christopher Booker prosecuted this case.

49 individual bags of methamphetamine seized during arrest lined up in rows of seven

The High Desert Drug Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force that identifies, disrupts, and dismantles local, multi-state, and international drug trafficking organizations using an intelligence-driven, multi-agency prosecutor-supported approach.  They are supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

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Contact

Jason Densley

Public Information Officer

usaid.pio@usdoj.gov

Updated February 26, 2026

Topic
Drug Trafficking