Four Indicted In 30 Lb. Methamphetamine Seizure In Anderson, CA
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today, charging San Jose residents Jose Angel Martinez Chairez, 38; Angel Avilio Martinez-Diaz, 26; Jose Maria Villareal, 24; and Sunnyvale resident Jose Luis Ramirez Verduzco, 27, with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and with the distribution of methamphetamine, Acting Special Agent in Charge Bruce C. Balzano and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, on July 10, 2013, a confidential informant arranged to buy 15 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine for $195,000 from Martinez-Diaz. They arranged to meet in a parking lot in Anderson. Martinez-Diaz initially showed the confidential informant a one-kilogram sample. Martinez-Chairez, Villareal, and Ramirez Verduzco brought the rest of the methamphetamine, to total 15 kilograms. Upon showing the drugs, agents arrested the defendants and seized the drugs.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Shasta County Interagency Narcotic Task Force. United States Attorney Richard J. Bender is prosecuting the case.
The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on Friday, July 26, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman.
If convicted, the defendants face 10 years to life in prison. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
