United States Drug Enforcement Administration

FRESNO, Calif. - Sergio Hector Aguilar, 46, of Bakersfield, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine while under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for a 1997 methamphetamine conviction, Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Special Agent in Charge Bruce C. Balzano and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court records, Aguilar supplied methamphetamine during two separate undercover transactions at a WalMart parking lot and a banquet hall in Bakersfield. At the time, Aguilar was on supervised release after serving 12-1/2 years in prison for conspiring to distribute 20 pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover agent in 1996.

Aguilar has been detained since his arrest in 2011 and is next scheduled for sentencing on July 8, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill. For the drug conviction, Aguilar faces 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. For the supervised release violation, he faces a maximum prison term of five years. His actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bakersfield Police Department, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.