Central Valley Men Indicted for Possession of Approximately One Million Pills Containing Suspected Methamphetamine
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment today against Jose Mendoza, 35, of Merced; Jessy Johnson, 34, of Turlock; and Alejandro Perez, 43, of Crows Landing, charging them with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and other drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris announced.
According to court documents, the defendants were part of a drug-trafficking organization that used the U.S. Mail to distribute drugs across the country. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized more than 100 parcels sent by the defendants’ organization. Those parcels contained controlled substances including methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms.
On March 26, 2026, law enforcement officers from multiple government agencies arrested the defendants and executed search warrants at multiple locations under their control. One location was a warehouse in Turlock, which was being used as a stash location. The warehouse contained three pill presses, pans with powders used in manufacturing pills laced with controlled substances, and approximately one million pills containing suspected methamphetamine. Agents also found cocaine, alprazolam (Xanax), MDMA, psilocybin mushrooms, and THC products at the warehouse and other locations under the defendants’ control.
The investigation also found approximately $150,000 in cash, as well as information which led them to find and seize multiple electronic wallets that the defendants had used to store cryptocurrency believed to be proceeds from drug sales. To date, law enforcement has seized more than $400,000 in cryptocurrency from wallets under the defendants’ control.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Stockton Police Department, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, the Manteca Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Campbell and Kevin Khasigian are prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. 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 defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
