Two California Men Charged with Meth Conspiracy

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Two California men have been charged in federal court after being stopped on Interstate 44 with five kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in their vehicle.

Margarito Morales-Alvarez, 28, of California, and Jorge Armando Camacho-Sanchez, 38, a citizen of Mexico residing in California, were charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., on Monday, June 11, 2018.

The federal criminal complaint charges Morales-Alvarez and Camacho-Sanchez with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Jasper County, Mo., from June 8 to 10, 2018.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper stopped the 2015 Nissan Altima being driven by Morales-Alvarez on Sunday, June 10, 2018, on Interstate 44 in Jasper County. The trooper became suspicious because Morales-Alvarez and Camacho-Sanchez could not identify the specific city of their destination and the vehicle they were driving belonged to a third party, whom they had difficulty identifying.

The trooper deployed his canine, which indicated the presence of controlled substances in the vehicle. The trooper searched the vehicle and found five cellophane-wrapped plastic bags, each containing approximately a kilogram of methamphetamine, in a large speaker box in the trunk of the vehicle. Morales-Alvarez later told investigators that they were en route to Indiana to deliver the vehicle.

The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody M. Larison. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).