Ceres man tried to sell meth to undercover cop. His co-defendant gets prison sentence

A man who conspired with a Ceres resident to sell $51,000 worth of methamphetamine has been sentenced to six years and nine months in federal prison for the crime.

Oscar Ivan Salazar-Avalos, 29, of Mexico, was sentenced on Monday in federal court in Fresno, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento. His co-defendant, Jose Manuel Sotelo-Mendoza, is scheduled to be sentenced May 20.

Federal prosecutors have said the defendants tried to sell 15 pounds of meth to an undercover investigator.

In late November, Salazar-Avalos pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth. Sotelo-Mendoza pleaded guilty to the same drug trafficking charge in late February.

Sotelo-Mendoza and Salazar-Avalos met a supply source in Los Angeles County to obtain the meth, according to prosecutors. The defendants then delivered the 15 pounds of meth to the undercover investigator in Delano.

Prosecutors said Salazar had negotiated to sell the meth for $3,400 per pound, for a total of $51,000.

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 April 25, 2019 at 9:18 AM.