Three Bakersfield Men Charged In Drug Distribution Ring

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Manuel Riviera-Felix, a.k.a. Felipe Garcia, 26, , Edi Vega Bustamante, 21, and Juan Angel Lopez, 32,  charging all three with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced .  Riviera-Felix and Bustamante are also charged separately in two counts with distribution of methamphetamine and Lopez alone is charged in a separate count with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  All three defendants are residents of Bakersfield, CA.

According to court documents, the three men conspired to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine.

This case was the product of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation by: the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the Bakersfield Police Department, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Southern Tri-County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Delaney is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, all three defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10,000,000 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 defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.