Jesus M. Beltran-Zazusta, also known as Jesus Zazueta-Beltran, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott made the announcement.
Beltran-Zazusta, a 26-year-old Mexican national living unlawfully in the United States and residing in Victor, was identified by law enforcement as a key supplier of methamphetamine to multiple local distributors in Teton and Bonneville Counties. In November 2023, authorities tracked him from California back to Idaho, where he was linked to an Idaho Falls residence owned by co-defendant Ana Costilla-Delgado. Officers seized a pound of methamphetamine from Jorge Hernandez Venegas as he left this location. A search warrant executed at the residence revealed nine pounds of methamphetamine in Costilla-Delgado's bedroom. Previously, Beltran-Zazusta had been identified as supplying methamphetamine to Fredy Munoz-Morales during an investigation in April 2023.
A federal grand jury indicted Beltran-Zazusta in January 2024 in Pocatello. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced him on March 3, 2025, including four years of supervised release following his prison term; however, deportation to Mexico is likely after serving his sentence.
Judge Nye also handed down sentences for related defendants: Costilla-Delgado received twelve and a half years on January 6, 2025; Venegas got nine years on December 2, 2024; and Munoz-Morales was sentenced to twelve and a half years on June 28, 2024.
Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott praised the efforts of the Idaho Falls Police Department, Teton County Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration that led to these charges. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blythe H. McLane prosecuted the case.