Nabbed by a task force focused on drug traffickers, Jesus Angulo, 36, of Woodlake, pleaded guilty Monday in Fresno federal court to possessing cocaine with intent to distribute it.

U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced the plea in a news release.

According to court documents, a team of local, state, and federal law enforcement officers partnered in an investigation into Tulare County Sureños gang members.

Cocaine, Stolen Gun Found in Truck

Investigators learned that Angulo and co-defendant Jonathan Gallegos were heading to Mexico to buy illegal drugs.

On Oct. 26, 2021, officers stopped Angulo and Gallegos as they were traveling northbound in Kern County in a pickup truck. Inside the truck, officers found more than 9 kilograms (nearly 20 pounds) of cocaine and a stolen, loaded firearm.

Angulo is set for sentencing on June 12, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca are prosecuting the case.

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