Colton Man Sentenced for Possession of Meth in Burrito-Shaped bundles

A Colton man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for carrying 14 pounds of methamphetamine wrapped like burritos in his vehicle last year.

Ricardo Renteria, 48, was sentenced on Monday, July 8, 2019, for the February 2018, incident. Court records indicate that Renteria was pulled over in the Angelino Heights area of Los Angeles after driving erratically in a white Chevy Tahoe. When pulled over, he allowed police to search his vehicle which led to the finding of a black trash bag on the floor behind the driver’s seat.

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Inside the large bag, fourteen foil-wrapped, burrito-shaped packages containing 13.7 pounds of methamphetamine. The street value of illicit drugs is estimated between $27,000 and 40,000. “A subsequent search of the vehicle after it was impounded revealed the presence of a fully loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver handgun,” Department of Justice officials said in a news release. “Renteria was arrested at the scene and he was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2018. He remains in federal custody.”

The judge, after a one-day bench trial in March, found Renteria guilty of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which are felonies.