Jesus Zavala-Torres, Methamphetamine Trafficking, New Jersey 2023
CAMDEN, N.J. - A California man was sentenced to 90 months in prison for shipping approximately 30 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and conspiring to send an additional 5 kilograms of fentanyl into New Jersey, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
Jesus Zavala-Torres, 35, of San Jacinto, California, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman in Camden federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl.
The investigation began in September 2018 when law enforcement officers received information that an individual identified as Isabel Otanez-Sanchez was shipping large quantities of narcotics to New Jersey from California.
On January 28, 2019, Sanchez agreed to send 30 pounds of methamphetamine to a law enforcement confidential source in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Zavala-Torres and Sanchez hid 28 packages of methamphetamine inside a salvaged vehicle that was shipped from California to New Jersey. Agents recovered the 28 packages, totaling approximately 30 pounds, from the car’s gas tank.
On February 12, 2019, the confidential source met with Sanchez and Zavala-Torres in Riverside, California. At this meeting, Sanchez and Zavala-Torres also agreed to sell an additional five kilograms of fentanyl that would be shipped to the confidential source in New Jersey in the same manner as the methamphetamine.
Zavala-Torres was sentenced to 90 months in prison and five years of supervised release. The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Meriah Russell of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Cherry Hill, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. She also thanked HSI in Riverside, CA; the New Jersey State Police; the Hemet, California, Police Department; and the Atlantic City Task Force for their assistance.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →