California Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Federal Prison For Methamphetamine Drug Conspiracy

TULSA, Okla. — Jesus Uzziel Rodriguez, 31, of Hayward, California, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge John E. Dowdell to 20 years in federal prison for drug conspiracy and possessing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, announced United States Attorney Danny C. Williams Sr. for the Northern District of Oklahoma. A federal jury convicted Rodriguez after a five-day trial.

The charges stemmed from an investigation by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control (OBNDD).

According to court documents, from May to July 2013, Rodriguez, Vincente Chipres Valencia, 34, of East Palo Alto, California, and Francisco Reyes-Sanchez, 34, of Mounds, Oklahoma, arranged for a dealer in California to provide methamphetamine to be sold in Tulsa. The defendants conspired to distribute approximately four (4) pounds of methamphetamine at a value of approximately $50,000. On July 11, 2013, Rodriguez, Valencia, and Reyes-Sanchez did in fact deliver approximately four (4) pounds of methamphetamine during an OBNDD sting operation.

Rodriguez was charged by a federal grand jury on August 7, 2013. Valencia pleaded guilty to the same charges on October 31, 2013, and Reyes-Sanchez pleaded guilty to the charges on November 6, 2013.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert T. Raley.