Two Bakersfield Drug Trafficking Cases Sentenced On Monday
FRESNO, Calif. - Two sentences for drug trafficking were handed down on Monday for cases originating in Bakersfield.
Martin Barragan, 39, of Bakersfield, was sentenced by United States District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill to four years in prison for using an interstate facility to aid racketeering. According to court documents, from June 1, 2012, to November 30, 2012, Barragan conspired with others to cultivate and distribute more than 900 marijuana plants. Barragan used a cellphone to manage his marijuana grow operation and business.
Marco Antonio Granados, 21, of Fontana, was sentenced by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to four years and one month in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. According to court documents, on October 16, 2013, Granados and his cousin met with a confidential informant in a parking lot on Weedpatch Highway in Bakersfield to negotiate the sale of 30 pounds of methamphetamine. When Granados and his cousin showed the informant a large cardboard box filled with methamphetamine in the cargo area of their vehicle, law enforcement personnel arrested them. Officers searched the vehicle and recovered 31 individually wrapped and “food saver” sealed packages of methamphetamine.
Both cases were the product of investigations by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Delaney prosecuted the cases.