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April 30, 2025 – FRESNO, CA – Raul Zamudio Hurtado, 42, of Oakdale, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 22 and a half years in prison and for two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine arising from two separate cases, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
According to court documents, in May 2017, a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies investigated a group of Sureño gang members and associates in the Merced area for crimes of violence, drug sales, and illegal firearms possession. More than 50 individuals were arrested and 14 defendants were charged federally. Hurtado was the source of supply of methamphetamine to the suspected Sureño members and was indicted. On July 24, 2019, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and remained in custody pending sentencing in the first case. In April 2020, he was released with conditions.
Between December 2021 and November 2022, Hurtado obtained and distributed methamphetamine in large quantities and received tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. On Nov. 16, 2022, a search warrant was executed, more than 73 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, and Hurtado was charged again. On June 3, 2024, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in this second case.
These cases were the product of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the California Department of Justice/California Highway Patrol, Special Operations Unit, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Modesto Police Department Major Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson and Kimberly Sanchez prosecuted the cases.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Source: DOJ Release
