A Mexican national living in Kern County has been indicted on two counts of Methamphetamine sales.
A federal grand jury returned the ruling Thursday, April 26th against 31-year-old Jesus Alberto Lopez-Retamoza.
The federal jury also returned the ruling for two other men, 29-year-old Hugo Lemus and 24-year-old Alejandro Lemus, both residing in Tulare County.
The indictment charged all three men with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, as well as possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott.
Court documents revealed that both Alejandro Lemus and Hugo Lemus had coordinated a methamphetamine sale with a customer. On April 18th, the men met with the customer in Wasco, who turned out to be an informant.
While the men discussed the transaction, the third man, Lopez-Retamoza, showed up and showed the customer a plastic bag suspected of containing methamphetamine, according to court documents.
Documents went on to reveal both Hugo Lemus and Lopez-Retamoza then went to a home in Wasco where they got 10 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, however, when they returned to the meeting location they were all arrested and the suspected drugs were seized.
Several different law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's, Homeland Security Investigations, the Kern County Sheriff's Office, Bakersfield Police Department, Customs and Border Protection, and many others.
The defendants, if convicted, could face up to life in prison and $10 million in fines.
