Pedro Cerna Arias, a 62-year-old Mexican national residing in Milpitas, has been sentenced to five years and ten months in prison for his involvement in methamphetamine trafficking. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that on April 9, 2020, Cerna Arias sold approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Milpitas. This transaction was initially arranged between the undercover officer and a drug trafficker based in Mexico. A subsequent search of Cerna Arias's residence on October 8, 2021, led to the discovery of about a kilogram of methamphetamine, drug-related materials, and $6,165 in cash. Cerna Arias admitted to law enforcement that he distributed methamphetamine in pound quantities.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), with support from Customs and Border Protection, the California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer prosecuted the case.
A co-defendant in this case, Jose Moreno Albestrain, received a ten-year prison sentence on December 19, 2024, also from Judge Calabretta for conspiracy related to methamphetamine distribution.
This prosecution is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at dismantling significant drug trafficking organizations through collaborative multi-agency efforts within the Eastern District of California.