Car's secret compartment held meth, feds say in indictment of Modesto residents

A federal grand jury indicted three Modesto residents Thursday on charges of conspiring to distribute a large amount of methamphetamine.

The panel, meeting in Fresno, leveled the charges against Ricardo Rumbo Vasquez, 37; Andres Dominguez Aguirre, 24; and Eric Oswaldo Felix, 43.

They were arrested after meeting in a parking lot to negotiate the delivery of the drug, a news release from U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert said. Officers searched Felix’s car and found 60 plastic bags of meth in a secret compartment in the roof. he said. The location of the parking lot was not reported.

The defendants face 10 years to life in prison if convicted, along with fines of up to $10 million. Each was indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute meth and one count of possession with intent to distribute.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration worked the case with help from the Stanislaus County Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Car's secret compartment held meth, feds say in indictment of Modesto residents."