Two members of a Sacramento-based drug trafficking organization were sentenced on Monday for their involvement in fentanyl trafficking and related crimes. The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Jose Guadalupe Lopez-Zamora, 30, from Sacramento, received a 27-year prison sentence. His charges included conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine; three counts of distribution of fentanyl; one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and one count of conspiracy to launder money.
Joaquin Alberto Sotelo Valdez, 28, also from Sacramento, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He faced charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, along with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Court documents revealed that Lopez-Zamora led the organization responsible for importing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone “M-30” pills from Mexico. These were distributed in northern California and other locations between May 2019 and January 2021. The group also trafficked cocaine and methamphetamine.
Fourteen other co-defendants have pleaded guilty in this case. Eight have been sentenced to imprisonment terms ranging from 19 months to over 10 years. Rosario Zamora Rojo and Jose Aguilar Saucedo are set for sentencing in July 2025, while Luis Lopez Zamora, Leonardo Flores Beltran, Erika Gabriela Zamora Rojo, and Sandro Escobedo will be sentenced in August 2025.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration with support from multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives among others. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs collaborated with Mexican authorities for the arrest and extradition of Luis Lopez Zamora from Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is handling the prosecution.
This case falls under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative which targets high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated approach involving various agencies.
