FRESNO, Calif. — Jesus Adrian Pena-Gamez, 33, a Mexican national unlawfully residing in Bakersfield, was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, on April 7, 2021, Pena-Gamez and co-defendant Carlos Ivan Campana met in the parking lot of a Bakersfield restaurant to sell to a person 15,000 counterfeit M30 pills containing fentanyl. During the meeting, Pena-Gamez and Campana were arrested and law enforcement officers recovered from Pena-Gamez’s vehicle approximately 3 pounds of pills containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
Charges are pending against Campana for distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine on three prior occasions between November 2020 and April 2021. On April 6, 2022, a bench warrant was issued for Campana’s arrest for violating pretrial release conditions and his whereabouts currently are unknown. The charges against him are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.