California Man Indicted for Fentanyl Pill Trafficking and Weapons Charges
Stockton, California – Martin Cervantes Vasquez, 49, of Stockton, pleaded guilty to various drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession charges, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. Cervantes and Alberto Salgado pleaded guilty to a fentanyl pill trafficking conspiracy.
Cervantes also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and Alberto Salgado also pleaded guilty to two counts of heroin distribution, to cultivating more than 100 marijuana plants, and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Isaiah Salgado pleaded guilty to possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
According to court documents, Alberto Salgado sold heroin and fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills to a confidential source on multiple occasions in 2019 and 2020. Cervantes supplied fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills to Alberto Salgado and also possessed more than a kilogram of heroin and 500 grams of methamphetamine on the day of his arrest on Oct. 8, 2020.
Alberto and Isaiah Salgado sold an illegal short-barreled rifle to the same confidential source in August 2020. Alberto Salgado also maintained a stash house in Sacramento where he grew more than 100 marijuana plants and also kept a firearm to protect his drug trafficking operation.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; the Sacramento Area Intelligence/Narcotics Task Force; and the California Highway Patrol.
Cervantes is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Cervantes and Alberto Salgado face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. Isaiah Salgado faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison.
The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Martin Cervantes Vasquez, 49, of Stockton, California, pleaded guilty to the following charges:
* Fentanyl pill trafficking conspiracy
* Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Martin Cervantes Vasquez was arrested on Oct. 8, 2020, in Stockton, California.
The maximum statutory penalty for Cervantes’ charges is life in prison.
Cervantes is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta.
Related Federal Cases
- Demecio Navarro Sanchez, Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2020 · Idaho
- David Garcia, Luis Perez, Gerardo Perez, Cocaine and Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2020 · Idaho
- Patrick Maldonado, Interstate Marijuana Trafficking, California 2023 · Kansas
- Donte Holdbrook, Fentanyl Trafficking, Ohio 2018 · Kansas
- Jesus Miramontes-Castaneda, Fentanyl Trafficking, Oregon 2021 · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent CrimeDrug Trafficking|Violent Crime