Press Release
☷Tulare County Man Sentenced to More Than Seven Years in Prison for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Deliveries Co Conspirator Pleads Guilty
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
May 01,2022
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Tulare County Man Sentenced to over 7 Years in Prison for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Deliveries , Co Conspirator Pleads Guilty FRESNO , Calif . — Renato Aguilera , 30 , of Porterville , was sentenced today to seven years and three months in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine , U . S . Attorney Phillip A . Talbert announced . Another member of the conspiracy , Maria Delgado , 31 , of Porterville , pleaded guilty today to participating in the drug conspiracy . According to court documents , acting at the direction of his brother - in - law , Pedro Delgado - Montenegro , 42 , a native and citizen of Mexico formerly residing in Porterville , Aguilera delivered 800 fentanyl pills to an undercover officer in exchange for $4 , 250 . Aguilera also transported several thousand fentanyl pills from Los Angeles to Porterville . In addition , at Delgado - Montenegro’s direction , Aguilera delivered over a pound of methamphetamine in two separate transactions to co - defendant Robert Cox , 58 , of Porterville , and a third party sent by Cox . In pleading guilty to the drug conspiracy , Delgado - Montenegro’s niece Maria Delgado admitted that she delivered fentanyl pills to an undercover officer , on behalf of Delgado - Montenegro , on three separate occasions . She also admitted that , at Delgado - Montenegro’s direction , she retrieved 2 . 2 pounds of heroin from the Los Angeles area that had been smuggled into the United States from Mexico . Aguilera and Maria Delgado are two of nine defendants , including Delgado - Montenegro , charged in the case . Delgado - Montenegro is a fugitive . Maria Delgado is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22 , 2022 , and faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of five years in prison , a maximum statutory penalty of 40 years in prison , and a $5 million fine . The actual sentence , however , will 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 . On April 22 , 2022 , Roberto Cavazos , 43 , of Porterville , was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine . Charges are pending against the remaining defendants . The charges are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt . This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Porterville Police Department , the Coalinga Police Department , and the Fresno Police Department . Assistant U . S . Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case . This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces ( OCDETF ) operation . OCDETF identifies , disrupts , and dismantles the highest - level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor - led , intelligence - driven , multi - agency approach . Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www . justice . gov/OCDETF .
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