Jose Angel Beltran-Chaidez, a 69-year-old Mexican national living in Bakersfield, was sentenced to two years in prison for possessing heroin with the intent to distribute. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that in January 2022, Beltran-Chaidez delivered over two pounds of heroin to Jorge Calderon-Campos, a 44-year-old Mexican national also residing in Bakersfield. This delivery was directed by Beltran's brother, Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, aged 55 and also a Mexican national. When Calderon-Campos failed to sell the heroin, Beltran retrieved it and was found with the drug during a traffic stop by a California Highway Patrol officer.
Calderon-Campos and Antonio Beltran-Chaidez had previously pleaded guilty and received sentences of eight years and one month, and three years and ten months respectively.
The investigation into this case involved multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration. They were assisted by various other federal and local law enforcement bodies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Land Management, Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force among others.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case which was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at identifying and dismantling major criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach.
For more information on OCDETF efforts visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.