Los Banos Narcotics Kingpin Oscar Marrot-Garcia Sentenced to Over Six Years

FRESNO, Calif. — In a gritty display of law enforcement’s might against the narco underworld, Oscar Rene Marrot-Garcia, a 27-year-old Los Banos resident, was today sentenced to over six years in federal prison for his role in a multi-drug trafficking conspiracy.

Marrot-Garcia’s sentence follows his guilty plea earlier this year. During his plea, he admitted to renting a secluded Madera home for methamphetamine production and storing substantial drug quantities at another abandoned residence in the same town. He also confessed to aiding in the packaging of drugs for distribution on the streets.

Law enforcement’s big break came at the end of January 2019 when they executed a search warrant at Marrot-Garcia’s Madera hideout. They found him alongside Francisco Alcantar-Miranda, 31, and Jose Monge-Ponce, 31, both Mexican nationals. Over 10 pounds of meth in various forms, 4 pounds of heroin, 1 pound of cocaine, and 25 pounds of marijuana were seized.

Alcantar-Miranda has already pleaded guilty and been sentenced to a decade behind bars. Monge-Ponce’s fate awaits determination at an upcoming status conference on November 30; he is currently presumed innocent.

The operation was a joint effort by the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic Enforcement Team (MADNET) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) team, which includes agents from various local and federal agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar handled the prosecution.

Marrot-Garcia was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to forfeit a handgun and approximately $18,000 in cash, both recovered at his residence.