Fresno Man Indicted for Possession for Sale of 137 Pounds of Methamphetamine

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against a Fresno man, charging him with possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it and possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, Jesus Lopez-Zepeda, 27, negotiated to sell 60 kilograms of methamphetamine an undercover officer for $240,000. On March 12, agents seized approximately 137 pounds of methamphetamine from Lopez-Zepeda’s residence, as well as a firearm and three rifles.

This case is the product of an investigation by the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), composed of personnel from the California Department of Justice, Homeland Security Investigations, Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Kings County Sheriff’s Office, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen A. Servatius is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Lopez-Zepeda faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine for the drug offense and a mandatory five year consecutive term on the firearms charge. 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 defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.