A West Sacramento man has been handed a decade behind bars for his role in fentanyl pill and cocaine trafficking, authorities announced. Christian Anthony Romero, 28, received a 10-year prison term after being convicted for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl pills and cocaine, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The sentencing, which took place before United States District Judge Dale A. Drozd, followed a series of investigations revealing that Romero was involved in distributing thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl and cocaine. The drug trafficking organization, purportedly guided by Sacramento's Jose Lopez-Zamora and his sibling in Mexico, Luis Lopez Zamora, funneled drugs from Mexico to Northern California and Nevada from as early as May 2019 through January 2021, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.
A sting operation on Sept. 4, 2020, staged by an undercover agent, resulted in Romero selling about 1,000 fentanyl-laced pills for $9,000. Further evidence from court-ordered wiretaps between Oct. and Dec. of 2020 indicated Romero's direct involvement in storing and selling the drugs. Romero was also implicated in communicating about, and funding substantial shipments of, the deadly pills, including two confiscated batches totaling nearly 19,000 pills.
Law enforcement, during a Jan. 13, 2021 raid on Romero's residence, seized more than 1,000 fentanyl pills and uncovered firearms—including a loaded 9mm Ruger pistol and two rifles—in proximity to where his girlfriend and two children lived. The broad-reaching investigation that eventually led to Romero's sentencing was a concerted effort by multiple agencies, including the DEA, FBI, and the ATF among others. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David W. Spencer.
Seven other defendants have already entered guilty pleas, receiving various lengths of prison time. Most notably, Rudi Jean Carlos and Jason Lamar Lee both received sentences exceeding eight years. Meanwhile, Luis Lopez Zamora, after being arrested in Mexico, was extradited to the United States this past April to face charges. As Romero's sentence marks another chapter in this extensive investigation, the futures of eight other defendants remain tied up in the halls of justice awaiting their conclusions, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
