California Man Indicted for Meth Distribution

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A California man was indicted for attempting to sell 15 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover law enforcement officer.

Javier Corona-Verduzco, 33, of Montclair, Calif., was charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported.

Corona-Verduzco allegedly told a confidential informant that he had a large quantity of methamphetamine and was looking for customers to purchase multiple pound quantities. The confidential informant told Corona-Verduzco that he/she knew someone who was interested in purchasing pounds of methamphetamine.

On March 31, 2016, Corona-Verduzco met with the confidential informant and an undercover law enforcement officer at a location in Kansas City, Kan. He offered to sell 15 pounds of methamphetamine for approximately $80,000. Corona-Verduzco agreed to conduct the transaction at a house in Kansas City, Kan.

Corona-Verduzco and the confidential informant allegedly drove to a house in Kansas City, Mo., so that the confidential informant could check the quality of the methamphetamine for sale. At that location, the confidential informant saw approximately 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine in a bag.

Corona-Verduzco was arrested the next day. Law enforcement officers located a gray Chevrolet Tahoe parked in front of the Kansas City, Mo., residence where Corona-Verduzco had taken the confidential informant the day before. Officers found seven packages of methamphetamine, totaling 6.814 kilograms (approximately 15 pounds), hidden in a hollow compartment behind the driver’s side rear panel.

Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Q. McCarther. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Jackson County Drug Task Force.