Mexican National Sentenced for Central Valley Drug Conspiracy

FRESNO, Calif. — Genaro Serrato-Calles (“Serrato”), aka “Alejandro,” aka “Meno,” 49, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced Tuesday to 148 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, Acting United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. 

His sentencing follows his guilty plea, which was entered last summer, along with the guilty pleas of his co-defendants, Antonio Castellanos, 38, of Whittier, Calif., Antonio Valencia-Hernandez (“Valencia”), 65, of Michoacán, Mexico, and Jose Reyes-Pineda (“Reyes”), 48, of Guerrero, Mexico. According to court documents, Serrato, who was convicted in 2006 in Stanislaus County of possessing ephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine, began working with sources in Mexico in 2014 to import and distribute drugs in the Modesto area. In April 2015, he coordinated with Valencia to pick up approximately 13 pounds of methamphetamine from Reyes in Anaheim for distribution in Modesto. Gualberto Agustin-Gomez, 45, a citizen of Mexico, also assisted in the packaging and transferring of the methamphetamine. In June 2015, Serrato coordinated the shipment of over 20 pounds of high-purity crystal methamphetamine to a stash house in Modesto. Serrato also supplied Valencia with approximately one half-pound of heroin for redistribution. 

Last month, Valencia and Reyes were sentenced to 12 years and 3 months and one and a half years in prison, respectively. Agustin-Gomez was previously sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Castellanos is scheduled for sentencing on January 18, 2022.  Castellanos faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, a statutory mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years, and a $10 million fine. The actual sentence, 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 the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF); Homeland Security Investigations; Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force; San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force; Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency; and Orange County Sheriff’s Special Investigations Bureau. Assistant United States Attorney Karen Escobar and Melanie Alsworth are prosecuting the case.

The case was also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.