Convicted drug trafficker Florentino Gutierrez, 41, of Hanford won’t be cruising the streets in his Cadillac Escalade anymore.
Gutierrez received a sentence of 21 years and 10 months on Tuesday in Fresno federal court for his methamphetamine trafficking convictions.
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced the sentence in a news release.
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Operation Red Reaper
Gutierrez was one of 21 drug traffickers charged federally in Operation Red Reaper, a multi-agency investigation into the criminal activities of the Kings and Tulare County Nuestra Familia prison gang.
According to court documents, in April and May 2019, Gutierrez conspired with others to traffic meth. Gutierrez’s plan included using his Cadillac Escalade as collateral to purchase the drugs.
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His co-conspirators then traveled from Hanford to Bakersfield, where they picked up the meth, prosecutors said. On the return trip, investigators stopped the car, searched it, and seized five bags containing more than 2 kilos of meth.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio is prosecuting the case.
