Mexican National Sentenced for Possessing Heroin with Intent to Distribute in Bakersfield

FRESNO, Calif. - Antonio Beltran-Chaidez, 54, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in January 2022, Antonio Beltran-Chaidez recruited his brother, Jose Beltran-Chaidez, 68, a Mexican national residing in Bakersfield, to deliver more than 2 pounds of heroin to Jorge Calderon-Campos, 42, of Bakersfield, who was the target of a federal wiretap investigation for distribution to Calderon-Campos's customers. However, when Calderon-Campos was unable to sell the drug, Jose Beltran-Chaidez retrieved it from Calderon-Campos at Antonio Beltran-Chaidez's direction and was in possession of the heroin when stopped by a law enforcement officer for a traffic violation.

Calderon-Campos and Jose Beltran-Chaidez recently pleaded guilty to their involvement in a larger drug conspiracy and are scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 21, 2024, and Nov. 4, 2024, respectively. They face a mandatory statutory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, along with a $10 million fine. The actual sentences, however, will 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.

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, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the CHP, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Kern County Sheriff's Office, the Kern County Probation Department, and the Bakersfield Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.

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.