Ceres man accused of meth trafficking. His co-defendant pleaded guilty.

A man who allegedly conspired with a Ceres man to sell $51,000 worth of methamphetamine pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges Monday in federal court.

Oscar Ivan Salazar-Avalos, of Mexico, was convicted of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.

Salazar-Avalos, 28, faces a sentence of at least 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, along with a $10 million fine, according to federal prosecutors. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 19.

The case against his co-defendant, Jose Manuel Sotelo-Mendoza of Ceres, is still pending.

The prosecutors said that Salazar-Avalos’ guilty plea included his acknowledgment that he and Sotelo met a supply source in Los Angeles County to obtain the 15 pounds of meth.

The two defendants delivered the meth to an undercover investigator in Delano, prosecutors said, after Salazar negotiated with the investigator to sell the meth for $3,400 per pound.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, which includes investigators from federal Homeland Security, the California Highway Patrol, and other state and local agencies.

This story was originally published November 26, 2018 at 4:12 PM.