FRESNO- On July 9, 2020, Francisco Alcantar-Miranda, aka Paquin, 31, of Mexico, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring to manufacture, to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd, who sentenced Alcantar, also ordered the forfeiture of a handgun and approximately $18,000 in cash.
On Feb. 2, 2020, Alcantar pleaded guilty and acknowledged that he assisted in manufacturing methamphetamine and storing large quantities of other drugs at an unoccupied residence in Madera. At the end of January 2019, detectives of the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Narcotic Enforcement Team (MADNET) executed a search warrant at the residence and found Alcantar, along with two other men, Oscar Rene Marrot-Garcia, 27, of Chowchilla, and Jose Monge-Ponce, 31, of Mexico. The detectives also found more than 10 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 pound of heroin, 1 pound of cocaine, and 25 pounds of marijuana.
Marrot-Garcia pleaded guilty on June 12, and is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 4. He faces a mandatory minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, along with a $10 million fine.
Charges are pending against Monge-Ponce, and he is scheduled for a jury trial on Oct. 26, 2020.
This case is the product of an investigation by MADNET detectives and agents of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), consisting of agents of Homeland Security Investigations; California Department of Justice; California Highway Patrol; Fresno, Tulare, and King Counties Sheriffs’ Offices; and Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen A. Escobar is prosecuting the case.
“Kudos to the team of local, state and federal officers and agents who made a dent in the distribution of illegal drugs in our state and Madera County,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. “The use and sale of illegal drugs leads to crimes that threaten our safety, our communities and our future.”
