Ceres’ Jose Manuel Sotelo sentenced for meth delivery

Gov. Jerry Brown (seated) holds a copy of a bill to end bail he signed Tuesday in Sacramento, Calif. The bill, co-authored by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, third from right, and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, right, makes California the first state to eliminate bail for suspects awaiting trial (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli).

bail law — Gov. Jerry Brown (seated) holds a copy of a bill to end bail he signed Tuesday in Sacramento, Calif. The bill, co-authored by state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, third from right, and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, right, makes California the first state to eliminate bail for suspects awaiting trial (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli).

FRESNO – Jose Manuel Sotelo-Mendoza (Sotelo), 27, of Ceres, was sentenced May 20 to eight years and four months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 15 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

Sotelo’s sentence follows his guilty plea earlier this year. According to court documents, Sotelo and his co-defendant Oscar Ivan Salazar-Avalos, 29, of Mexico, delivered 15 pounds of crystal methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Delano after Salazar negotiated with the officer for the delivery of the drug for $3,400 per pound for a total of $51,000. Salazar and Sotelo met the source of supply in Castaic in the northern part of Los Angeles County to obtain the methamphetamine.

Salazar was recently sentenced to 6 years and 9 months in prison for the drug conspiracy.

The case was the product of a multi-agency investigation.Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar prosecuted the case.

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