Alberto Gonzalez Salgado, a 45-year-old resident of Sacramento, has been sentenced to over 13 years in prison for his involvement in drug trafficking and firearms offenses. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that Salgado engaged in the trafficking of fentanyl pills, heroin, marijuana, and firearms during 2019 and 2020. He sold heroin and fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills along with illegal short-barreled rifles to a confidential source on multiple occasions. Additionally, Salgado maintained a stash house in Sacramento where he cultivated over 100 marijuana plants and kept a firearm to safeguard his drug operations.
In October 2020, when law enforcement attempted to arrest him en route to a fentanyl pill transaction, Salgado fled the scene. This led to a high-speed chase lasting more than an hour and a half on public roads, posing risks to both officers and the general public.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with support from several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; Sacramento Area Intelligence/Narcotics Task Force; and California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer prosecuted the case.
This case is part of efforts under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which aims to identify and dismantle major criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach led by prosecutors.
For further details about OCDETF's work, visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.