Nearly 1,000 Pounds of Meth Seized in Tulare and Kings County
Two Methamphetamine Labs Dismantled
FRESNO, Calif. — Armando Rosales Gonzalez, 35, of Tulare; Rogelio Ceniceros Flores, 37, of Jalisco, Mexico; and Carlos Bobadilla, 39, of Tulare, were arrested on May 17, 2023, during a coordinated law enforcement operation and have been charged in a criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Clark and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, the arrests were made as part of an investigation of a drug trafficking organization in California’s Central Valley. On May 17, 2023, law enforcement searched five properties in Tulare, Earlimart and Corcoran, resulting in the seizure of nearly 1,000 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 14 firearms. Law enforcement also discovered and dismantled two active methamphetamine conversion laboratories with numerous 55-gallon drums filled with liquid methamphetamine in various stages of conversion to crystal methamphetamine.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Sacramento Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team (CALMMET); the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the Tulare Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), the Tulare Police Department, the Clovis Police Department, the Fresno Police Department, the Woodlake Police Department, and the Porterville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Antonio J. Pataca is prosecuting the case.
If convicted of the charges, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.