Stockton Man Charged with Possessing 83 Pounds of Methamphetamine for Distribution

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Gildardo Perez Avilez, 38, of Stockton, charging him with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Perez Avilez’s residence and seized 83 pounds of methamphetamine packaged in 1-pound bags and 8,800 counterfeit oxycodone M-30 pills containing fentanyl.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Perez Avilez faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and 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 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.