Bakersfield-area man sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for methamphetamine trafficking
FRESNO, Calif. — A Bakersfield-area man was sentenced Monday to 210 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Santos Acevedo Gutierrez, 41, of Shafter, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neil. In addition to the prison term, Judge O’Neil also ordered Acevedo Gutierrez to forfeit $10,123, funds linked to his drug trafficking activities.
“As this sentence makes clear, trafficking methamphetamine is a serious offense that will be punished with the fullest extent of the law,” said Michael Toms, resident agent in charge of HSI Bakersfield. “Left unchecked, this highly dangerous substance destroys lives and wreaks havoc on entire communities. HSI, together with its local law enforcement partners, is committed to using every tool and authority at its disposal to combat the menace posed by meth.”
According to court documents, on April 30, 2014, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gutierrez’s home in Shafter and seized approximately four pounds of methamphetamine as well as a digital scale, packaging materials and more than $10,000 in cash. Gutierrez was on federal supervised release after serving a prison sentence for a previous federal drug felony conviction at the time of the search.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian K. Delaney is prosecuting the case.
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