Published
8 months agoon
Oscar Arturo Salomon Perez, 48, a native and citizen of Mexican, pleaded guilty Monday in Fresno federal court to distributing fentanyl and an altered form of fentanyl.
According to court documents, in October 2021, Perez negotiated with an undercover agent for the sale of 10,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and one kilogram of “Chinese Food,” believed to be synthetic heroin laced with fentanyl.
After confirming the prices with his suppliers in Mexico, Perez told the agent that it would cost $3 per pill and $22,000 for the “Chinese Food.” Perez also wanted $1,000 for making the delivery in Fresno for a total of $53,000.
A couple of hours later, Perez met with the agent. When the agent said that another car was bringing the money, Perez fled — leaving behind 10,004 blue pills marked “M-30” containing fentanyl and about two pounds of a powdered fentanyl analog.
Fresno County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Perez, who had another 219 blue pills marked “M-30” containing fentanyl in his vehicle.
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Perez — who is also known as Jesus Ramos and Jesus Rodriguez-Ramos — is scheduled for sentencing on April 17. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, and a $10 million fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
The multi-agency Fresno High Impact Investigation Team investigated and apprehended Perez.
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced Perez’s guilty plea in a news release.
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Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email