A federal jury has delivered guilty verdicts against two individuals involved in separate firearm and drug trafficking conspiracies, as announced by Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith. Angel Lopez, 47, from Southern California, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Rochlem Eric Aquino Yadao, 48, from Santa Maria, was convicted of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license.
The court documents and trial evidence revealed that in March 2020, Lopez arranged the sale of five pounds of methamphetamine. The transaction occurred in a dark parking lot outside Disneyland where Lopez’s associate handed over the drugs to a buyer. Law enforcement officers nearby conducted a traffic stop shortly after the exchange and seized the methamphetamine packaged in five plastic bags.
In another operation in 2020 involving unlicensed firearm dealing across Fresno, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties, law enforcement confiscated firearms and ammunition during four separate transactions between March and August. In April 2020 at Yadao's residence in Santa Maria, two AR-style rifles were sold without serial numbers or licenses. These "ghost guns" were later seized by authorities.
The investigation leading to these convictions was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with support from multiple agencies including local sheriff’s offices and police departments across California. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie M. Stokman and Cody S. Chapple are handling the prosecution.
Lopez and Yadao are scheduled for sentencing on August 25, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Lopez faces a minimum sentence of ten years up to life imprisonment while Yadao could face up to ten years.
This case falls under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), which targets high-level criminal organizations threatening national security through coordinated efforts among various agencies.