California Man Sentenced To 135 Months’ Imprisonment For His Supervisory Role In A Nationwide Drug Trafficking Organization

SCRANTON- The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion sentenced Miguel Renteria-Gomez, age 38, of Perris, California, to 135 months’ imprisonment and a 5-year term of supervised release for his supervisory role in a drug trafficking organization that moved large quantities of Heroin, Fentanyl, Cocaine and Methamphetamine from California to various major Midwest and East Coast cities, including through locations in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Renteria-Gomez owned a ranch in Perris that was a primary distribution hub for this nationwide drug trafficking organization.  Renteria-Gomez managed a group of couriers and other co-conspirators who packaged the drugs in suitcases and then transported the drugs via commercial flights to cities like New York and Boston, where the drugs were then distributed locally.  On July 16, 2019, after a lengthy investigation, Renteria-Gomez was arrested in California.  Six kilograms of Fentanyl were seized from his vehicle.  Another six kilograms were seized from his ranch and other locations in the area.       

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and was   prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John.

The case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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