United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Fresno residents Eduardo Fernandez, aka, Lalo, aka, Flavio Rios, 35; Miguel Medina, 62; and Alexis Antonio Alvarez Guzman, 19, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in April 2015, Fernandez received a shipment of methamphetamine from Mexico with Medina’s assistance. Fernandez took it to a residence in Visalia where Guzman was located. When agents served a search warrant at the residence, they found 16 pounds of methamphetamine.

This case is the product of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) investigation involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, Fresno Police Department, Madera Narcotic Enforcement Task Force, Visalia Police Department, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, and California Highway Patrol. OCDETF is a program that facilitates joint investigative work by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Fernandez faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $30 million fine. Medina and Guzman are facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of two counts, and a $1 million fine on each of two counts. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.