Ceres Man Pleads Guilty in Fentanyl Ring That Ran Guns Across Stanislaus County

A Ceres man arrested in 2023 with two handguns, a short-barreled rifle, an AR-15 style firearm and 30,000 fentanyl pills in his vehicle has pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl, becoming the sixth defendant to admit guilt in a sprawling federal case that has swept up traffickers across Stanislaus County. Andrew Rodriguez, 30, entered his plea to possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute following an investigation by the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office and the FBI's Sacramento field office.

The case against Rodriguez traces back to June 13, 2023, when federal and local law enforcement officers arrested him during a pre-arranged drug deal, according to the Department of Justice. That seizure, which included the two handguns, the short-barreled rifle, the AR-15 style firearm and 30,000 fentanyl pills, occurred during a broader sting operation that had been targeting a planned 50,000-pill transaction in Stanislaus County. News of the plea first surfaced in a post from FBI Sacramento on X, which confirmed Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced in November 2026.

A Yearslong Investigation Called Operation Blue Death

Rodriguez's plea is the latest development in Operation Blue Death, a joint federal and local task force initiative that combined the investigative resources of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office and the FBI's Sacramento field office. The operation culminated in a 17-count federal indictment charging seven individuals with drug and firearm trafficking offenses tied to the distribution of fentanyl pills and illegal firearms across Stanislaus County between September 2022 and June 2023, per the same DOJ account. The case reportedly falls under Operation Take Back America initiatives, according to the FBI Sacramento post.

Undercover work during the investigation documented individual illegal sales well before the June 2023 arrests. In one instance, on April 21, 2023, an undercover operation captured a transaction involving 6,000 fentanyl pills and a Draco PAK 9 rifle, carried out by co-defendant Arturo Madrid, the DOJ notes.

Co-Defendants Already Facing More Than a Decade Behind Bars

Rodriguez now joins a list of co-defendants who have already been sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms. Madrid, 30, of Modesto, pleaded guilty to fentanyl distribution and felon-in-possession charges and was sentenced on November 17, 2025, to 11 years and three months in federal prison, the department said. Enrique Cruz DeLeon, 29, of Salida, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 30,000 fentanyl pills — seized from a briefcase in his vehicle during his own June 2023 arrest — and received the same 11-year, three-month sentence on April 21, 2025.

Oleg Arreola, 28, of Modesto, was arrested with an AK-style Draco rifle at his feet during the June 2023 drug deal. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley in March 2026 to 11 years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm tied to the drug ring, according to the DOJ.

Turlock residents Ebony Lambert and Donnell Mays were also charged under the Operation Blue Death indictment for fentanyl distribution. Lambert received a two-year federal prison sentence in August 2025, while Mays faced statutory penalties ranging from 10 years to life in prison, as reported by the Turlock Journal.

Part of a Bigger Crackdown Across the Central Valley

Operation Blue Death is not the only major trafficking case to surface out of Stanislaus County in recent months. In March 2026, federal prosecutors unsealed a separate 10-count indictment involving the seizure of 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 12 firearms across Turlock, Modesto and Calaveras County, part of regional task force operations under Homeland Security Task Force initiatives, the DOJ said.

Locally, Ceres police have repeatedly targeted illegal firearms and drug possession through routine municipal traffic stops. A February 2025 stop yielded unserialized ghost guns and narcotics, underscoring how traffic enforcement continues to serve as a frontline tool against illicit weapons in the city even as federal agents pursue the larger networks supplying them.

With Rodriguez's plea, six of the seven defendants named in the original indictment have now admitted guilt. His sentencing is scheduled for November 2026, and it remains unclear what term prosecutors will seek or whether the seventh defendant in the case has reached any resolution.