Mexican national pleads guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Tehama County.
Maria Cervantes-Echevarria, 35, a Mexican national living in Los Molinos, California, was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
The investigation into Cervantes-Echevarria and co-defendant Miguel Cervantes began in 2017. In 2018, federal agents conducted three controlled buys of methamphetamine from Cervantes, resulting in the purchase of over 3 pounds of the substance.
During the execution of a search warrant at Cervantes-Echevarria’s and co-defendant Marta Jimenez Lopez’s home, law enforcement seized approximately 34 pounds of methamphetamine, 3 pounds of heroin, three firearms, and over $44,000 in cash.
Cervantes and Lopez, both Mexican nationals living in Los Molinos, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Cervantes was sentenced to nine years in prison in February 2020, while Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2022.
The case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the Tehama Interagency Drug Enforcement (TIDE) task force, and the Siskiyou Unified Major Investigations Team (SUMIT), with special assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Highway Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.
The defendant, Maria Cervantes-Echevarria, is a Mexican national who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. She was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley.
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- Adam Dean Stoneman, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, California 2016 · South Dakota
- Bryan Howard, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, California 2019 · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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