Fifth Member of Bakersfield Drug Ring Sentenced

FRESNO, Calif. - Jorge Calderon-Campos, aka Americano, 42, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston for his involvement in a drug distribution operation in Bakersfield and for unlawfully possessing animals for the purpose of cockfighting, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on March 30, 2021, Calderon supplied 26 pounds of methamphetamine to co-defendants Mark Garcia, 24, of Lamont, and Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 38, a Mexican national. On April 7, 2021, Calderon was involved in a 60-pound methamphetamine transaction with co-defendants Byron Adilio Alfaro-Sandoval, 47, of Bakersfield; Francisco Javier Torres Mora, aka Johnathan Benjamin Torres, 31, a Mexican national; and Alberto Gomez-Santiago, 39, a Mexican national. In addition, on Jan. 27, 2022, Calderon obtained more than 2 pounds of heroin from co-defendant Jose Angel Beltran-Chaidez, 68, a Mexican national, after Calderon negotiated for the drug with Beltran's brother and co-defendant Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, 54, also a Mexican national. Each of these drug transactions occurred in Bakersfield.

In addition, between Jan. 16 and April 26, 2022, Calderon knowingly possessed fighting birds for the purpose of having them participate in an animal fighting venture, in violation of the Animal Welfare Act. During a search of his residence on April 26, 2022, law enforcement officers found numerous hens for breeding gamecocks and fighting roosters, various cockfighting implements, including razors and spurs, and six cockfighting trophies, including several with plates inscribed with "Team Amkno" (shorthand for "Team Americano"). At another property where Horacio Ortega-Martinez, 38, a Mexican national, resided and where Calderon maintained drugs and some of his fighting birds, officers found approximately 250 fighting roosters, approximately 250 "Mexican slashers" or knives used for cockfighting, training mitts commonly used for training and fighting roosters, and miscellaneous antibiotics, vitamins and supplements that commonly are used for breeding and training roosters for fighting.

This case was the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Secret Service, Bureau of Land Management, Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Kern County Sherriff's Office, Kern County Probation Department, and Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.

Six of the defendants in this investigation have entered guilty pleas, including:

• Alberto Gomez-Santiago, who was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison.
• Francisco Javier Torres Mora, who was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison.
• Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, who was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in prison.
• Horacio Ortega-Martinez, who was sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for a violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
• Jose Beltran-Chaidez, who is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 2, 2024.
• Mark Garcia, who is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 3, 2024.

Charges are pending against Alfaro-Sandoval, and he is scheduled for trial on Jan. 28, 2025. The charges are only allegations; he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.