Modesto Area Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Terms

Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced Thursday, Jan. 5, United States District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Fernando Murguia-Ochoa, 42, of Michoacán, Mexico, and Jose Anguiano, 37, of Oakdale, to lengthy terms in prison for drug trafficking. Judge England sentenced Murguia-Ochoa to 24 years and four months in prison and Anguiano to 15 years and eight months in prison. In 2010, Murguia-Ochoa and Anguiano each pleaded guilty to three counts of drug trafficking.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency.

According to court documents, in August 2008, Murguia-Ochoa and Anguiano brought more than $750,000 worth of methamphetamine from Southern California into the Central Valley. On August 28, 2008, the Stanislaus County SWAT team served a federal search warrant at Anguiano’s residence in Oakdale and seized 39 pounds of methamphetamine.

In imposing such lengthy sentences, Judge England called the defendants’ conduct “very serious” because of the “massive quantities” of drugs involved and the countless lives that were ruined by the drugs distributed into California communities by these individuals. Judge England also considered that Murguia-Ochoa committed his crimes while being present in the United States illegally from Mexico. Judge England noted that Murguia-Ochoa will very likely be deported to Mexico when he finishes serving his lengthy prison sentence.

Previously in the same case, Miguel Zepeda-Lopez received a 14-year prison sentence. Two other defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Mario Sarrano-Aburto is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, and Joshua Ortega is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 2.