A Stockton man faces life in prison after pleading guilty to possessing and selling methamphetamine while being part of a drug ring in 2019, federal prosecutors announced.
Jose Manuel Ontiveros Verdugo, 39, conspired with others to distribute meth in Stockton and throughout the country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement Monday.
During the investigation, which spanned from July to December 2019, an undercover source bought 11 pounds of meth and a half-pound of heroin from the drug trafficking organization, of which Verdugo was a part. Law enforcement also intercepted 50 pounds of meth destined for Nebraska, as well as a 21‑pound shipment en route to Pennsylvania.
A federal grand jury returned a 13-count indictment against Verdugo and others in June 2023 in connection with the case.
Charges are pending against co-defendants Jorge Omar Arredondo Garcia, 46, of Lodi; Gregorio Ontiveros Verdugo, 41, of Morada; Alberto Navarro Zapata, 50, of Stockton; and Wilfredo Reyes, 48, of Manteca, Department of Justice officials said.
Jose Manuel Ontiveros Verdugo faces a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine when he is sentenced on June 16.
The federal investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, San Joaquin County Probation officers and the Stockton and Tracy police departments.