FRESNO — Jorge Luis Velasquez, 33, of Mexico, Omar Velazquez Landeros, 27, of Bakersfield, and Victor Romero Galvan, 29, of Mexico, were indicted today for conspiring and possessing with intent to distribute over 10,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and for carrying firearms in furtherance of these crimes, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on or about January 28, 2020, in Kern County, Landeros distributed approximately one pound of nearly pure methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Bakersfield. Velasquez assisted with coordinating that transaction. On or about March 13, 2020, Landeros distributed approximately 1,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, which Velasquez helped to coordinate as well.
On September 1, 2020, Landeros, Velasquez, and Romero Galvan conspired to distribute approximately 10,000 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills and 10 pounds of methamphetamine. Each defendant possessed a firearm when they arrived at the prearranged drug deal in Bakersfield, California. When law enforcement arrived to arrest the defendants, Velasquez and Landeros fled with firearms in hand.
Landeros was apprehended shortly thereafter. Velasquez discarded his firearm and fled on foot onto the SR-99 where he obtained and attempted to escape in a CalTrans vehicle. Velasquez eventually abandoned the vehicle and again fled on foot, at which point he was apprehended by law enforcement. Law enforcement arrested the defendants and seized firearms and controlled substances.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Kern County Probation Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Scott is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison 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.
