Sacramento man gets 10 years in prison for distributing a pound of meth

A Sacramento man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for distributing meth, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California.

The case into Salvador Padilla III, 39, began back in October 2017 when officers began an investigation after receiving reports a Sacramento-based drug dealer was selling pound-level amounts of meth, according to the release. Officers arranged an undercover purchase of a pound of meth from a dealer who worked with Padilla in December 2017, the prosecutor said. Just before the purchase, Padilla drove to the dealer’s home and gave him over a pound of meth, which the dealer then sold to the undercover agent, according to the release.

On May 23, Padilla pleaded guilty to distributing meth. That same month, his co-conspirators, Eberardo Mendez and Jose Romero, both 55, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute meth.

Mendez and Romero are expected to be sentenced in September and October, respectively. Each faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 1:40 PM.