SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Demecio Navarro Sanchez, 66, of Mexico, and Daniel Melchor, 20, of Santa Ana, charging them with conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on Oct. 16, 2020, law enforcement officers seized approximately 19,000 counterfeit oxycodone M-30 pills containing fentanyl and about 38.5 pounds of methamphetamine that Navarro and Melchor transported to Rocklin in separate vehicles on behalf of a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), the California Highway Patrol, and the Rocklin Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Spencer is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Navarro Sanchez and Melchor face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison. 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.
