Jose Manuel Valdez Torres, Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2015

Thirteen defendants from Sacramento, Delano, and Phoenix have been charged with trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana in the Central Valley of California.

A 22-count indictment was returned against the defendants, who include Jose Manuel Valdez Torres, a 39-year-old fugitive from Delano/Phoenix, and Roberto Gomez Jr., 25, of Antelope.

The indictment alleges that Valdez Torres was arranging to smuggle multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine from Mexico into the United States.

The drugs were stored at stash houses in Delano, Sacramento, and Phoenix, and were sold in ounce and pound quantities to various distributors.

On June 24-26, 2015, law enforcement executed search warrants for 11 residences, arresting 10 individuals and seizing over 50 pounds of methamphetamine, a kilogram of heroin, smaller amounts of cocaine and marijuana, and over $275,000 in cash.

Gomez, along with Bradley Gene Ward and William James Welch, are each charged with illegal possession of firearms.

The case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and other law enforcement agencies.

Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Highsmith is prosecuting the case.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine.

If convicted, they each face a statutory maximum penalty of life in prison and a $5 million fine.

The case was investigated and prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program.

The defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edca/pr/central-valley-drug-trafficking-group-indicted