United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Manuel Garcia Navarro, 33, of Fresno, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to two years in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John J. Martin announced.

According to court documents, Navarro was a methamphetamine courier. On June 29, 2013, Navarro was stopped by the California Highway Patrol for a vehicle code violation. A subsequent search of Navarro’s vehicle resulted in the seizure of four pounds of methamphetamine concealed within the airbag compartment.

Federico Aguilar was the head of this drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing pound-quantities of methamphetamine on a weekly basis in Butte County. Over a four-month period in 2013, Aguilar’s organization distributed over 49 pounds of methamphetamine. Aguilar was arrested at his residence in August 2013, where law enforcement officers found 15 cellphones, five guns, and $50,000 in cash concealed within a bathroom air vent.
Navarro is the tenth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case. Nine other defendants have been sentenced this year:

1. On October 14, 2015, Federico Aguilar was sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison.
2. On September 30, 2015, Rafael Medina was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.
3. On August 19, 2015, David Eleazar was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.
4. On July 8, 2015, Neng Xiong was sentenced to four years and five months in prison.
5. On February 25, 2015, Alejandro Corona was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
6. On October 28, 2015, Rickey Xiong was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
7. On March 25, 2015, Jaime Dominguez was sentenced to two years in prison.
8. On May 20, 2015, Sou Xiong was sentenced to two years in prison.
9. On June 10, 2015, Cindy Hunter was sentenced to one year of supervised release.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task (BINTF), the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, the Butte County Probation Department, the Butte County District Attorney’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control, the Chico Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Justin Lee prosecuted the case.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF). The OCDETF program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.