Armando Rosales Gonzalez, Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2023

FRESNO, Calif. — In a major blow to the methamphetamine trade in California, nearly 1,000 pounds of crystal methamphetamine were seized in Tulare and Kings County, with two active methamphetamine conversion laboratories dismantled.

Armando Rosales Gonzalez, 35, of Tulare; Rogelio Ceniceros Flores, 37, of Jalisco, Mexico; and Carlos Bobadilla, 39, of Tulare, were arrested on May 17, 2023, following a coordinated law enforcement operation.

According to court documents, the arrests were made as part of an investigation into a drug trafficking organization in California’s Central Valley. On May 17, 2023, law enforcement searched five properties in Tulare, Earlimart, and Corcoran, resulting in the seizure of nearly 1,000 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 14 firearms.

Law enforcement also discovered and dismantled two active methamphetamine conversion laboratories with numerous 55-gallon drums filled with liquid methamphetamine in various stages of conversion to crystal methamphetamine.

The defendants, Armando Rosales Gonzalez, Rogelio Ceniceros Flores, and Carlos Bobadilla, have been charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Sacramento Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team (CALMMET), the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), the Tulare Police Department, the Clovis Police Department, the Fresno Police Department, the Woodlake Police Department, and the Porterville Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. Pataca is prosecuting the case.

The effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

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