CHP pulls over vehicle, finds 260 pounds of meth; 2 NorCal Mexican nationals charged
SACRAMENTO -- Two Mexican nationals living in Sacramento and Stockton have been charged with drug trafficking after a traffic stop resulted in the discovery of methamphetamine packaged for sale, a federal prosecutor announced Friday.
Felix Ortiz-Plata, 41, of Stockton and Anuar Castaneda Ortiz, 26, of Sacramento were each charged Thursday with conspiracy to distribute, along with possession and distribution of methamphetamine.
According to a press statement from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California Phillip Talbert, Ortiz-Plata and Castaneda Ortiz conspired with one another to sell methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source.
On Dec. 5, California Highway Patrol officers conducted a traffic stop on Castaneda Ortiz's vehicle and a subsequent search of the vehicle yielded over 260 pounds of crystal methamphetamine packaged in 90 plastic bags in the backseat and trunk of the vehicle, according to court documents cited by Talbert.
If convicted, Ortiz-Plata and Castaneda Ortiz face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine, although any sentence would be subject to court discretion and federal sentencing guidelines.
