Mexican National Living in Sacramento Indicted on Fentanyl Charges

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment today against Luis Enrique Vasquez-Lopez, 45, a Mexican national living in Sacramento, charging him with distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession with intent to distribute heroin, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, from December 2022 to April 2023, Vasquez-Lopez sold a confidential source at least 40 grams of fentanyl on four occasions. During the investigation, agents identified two privately owned rural properties that Vasquez-Lopez was utilizing to store his drugs. On May 22, 2023, Vasquez-Lopez was arrested and found to be in possession of a kilogram of fentanyl, heroin, and a firearm.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alstyn Bennett is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Vasquez-Lopez faces 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.