Stanislaus County Man Sentenced to over 13 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Distribution

FRESNO, Calif. — Julian Loeza, 33, of Ceres, was sentenced today to 13 years and eight months in prison for distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in 2020, a team of local and federal law enforcement officers partnered in an investigation into the drug trafficking activities of Loeza and co-defendants Esmerelda Ceja-Mendez, 43, of Ceres; Sofia Cisneros-Noyola, 37, of Sacramento; and Victor Ramirez, 37, of Atwater. On March 3, 2021, Loeza sold 2 pounds of methamphetamine for $3,600.

Loeza had been convicted of previous federal drug trafficking charges in 2016. In that prior case he was sentenced to six years in prison. By March 2021, he had been released. Loeza committed his new drug trafficking offense while on federal supervised release for the prior case. Loeza was also sentenced to 24 months in prison for violating the terms of his supervised release, to run concurrently with his sentence for the new offense.

Ramirez previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Nov. 20, 2023.

Charges are pending against Ceja-Mendez and Cisneros-Noyola; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca prosecuted the case.

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.