Sacramento man pleads guilty to federal drug charges

A Sacramento man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Fresno to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.

Wenceslao Cruz Ochoa, 35, was driving northbound on Interstate 5 in Fresno County when he was stopped for driving too close to another vehicle. During the stop, a deputy’s canine alerted to the presence of a controlled substance, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. During a search of Ochoa’s vehicle, 19 pounds of methamphetamine was found in a suitcase.

Ochoa is to be sentenced Sept. 14 by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill.

The case resulted from an investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department.

This story was originally published June 15, 2015 at 8:22 PM.