FRESNO - Francisco Alcantar-Miranda, aka Paquin, 31, of Mexico, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture, to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd, who sentenced Alcantar, also ordered the forfeiture of a handgun and approximately $18,000 in cash.
On Feb. 2, Alcantar pleaded guilty and acknowledged that he assisted in manufacturing methamphetamine and storing large quantities of other drugs at an unoccupied residence in Madera. At the end of January 2019, detectives of the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic Enforcement Team (MADNET) executed a search warrant at the residence and found Alcantar, along with two other men, Oscar Rene Marrot-Garcia, 27, of Chowchilla, and Jose Monge-Ponce, 31, of Mexico. The detectives also found over 10 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 pound of heroin, 1 pound of cocaine, and 25 pounds of marijuana.
Marrot-Garcia pleaded guilty on June 12 and is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 4. He faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, along with a $10 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.
Charges are pending against Monge-Ponce, and he is scheduled for a jury trial on Oct. 26. The charges are only allegations; Monge-Ponce is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by MADNET detectives and agents of the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), consisting of agents of Homeland Security Investigations; California Department of Justice; California Highway Patrol; Fresno, Tulare, and King Counties Sheriffs’ Offices; and Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.