SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a
two-count indictment today against Ivan Martinez-Lopez, 29, a Mexican national,
and Saul Moreno-Lemus, 22, of Reedley, charging them with conspiracy to
distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin, U.S.
Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Martinez-Lopez and Moreno-Lemus
arranged to sell several kilograms of heroin to a confidential informant who
was working with law enforcement authorities at the time. At an arranged time
and place, the informant met with the two men who showed the informant the
heroin in the back seat of their car. At that time, the informant gave a signal
to law enforcement agents surveilling the transaction. Officers converged on
the scene and took both defendants into custody.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task
Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Conolly is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, both defendants face a mandatory minimum
penalty of 10 years in prison, with a maximum of life, and a $10 million fine.
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.
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