Three Bakersfield men were sentenced in two separate cases on Monday by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill for conspiracies to traffic marijuana and methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
In the first case, Baltazar Castenada Garcia, 25, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison for conspiring to possess methamphetamine and conspiring to cultivate and distribute marijuana. According to court documents, Garcia grew marijuana for distribution at his residence in Bakersfield and at a second Bakersfield residence. Additionally, Garcia sold methamphetamine with the assistance of his co-defendants, using a residence in Arvin to store and package controlled substances for distribution.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and Kern County Probation Department. Assistant United States Attorney Laurel J. Montoya prosecuted the case. 1:13-cr-392-LJO
In the second case, Guillermo Magallanes, 36, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, received a sentence of seven years in prison, and Pasqual Gonzales Magallanes, 44, who pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, received a sentence of 10 years and one month in prison.
According to court documents, these defendants conspired with Juan Lascano Jr., 32, of Bakersfield, to distribute pound quantities of methamphetamine in the Bakersfield area. Judge O’Neill also ordered the forfeiture of $31,242, a 2014 Lexus IS250 F Sport and a 2012 Acura TL sedan as proceeds of the illegal drug trafficking activity. On October 19, 2015, co-defendant Lascano was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the case.
This case was the product of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Brian Delaney prosecuted the case. 1:15-CR-49-LJO
