Julio Cesar Nevarez-Erunez, 24, from Salem, Oregon and formerly of Downey, California, was sentenced to five years and ten months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The sentencing took place on December 4, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
Court documents show that Nevarez-Erunez worked with co-defendant Juan Niebla-Osuna, 28, also from Downey, to distribute methamphetamine in the Eastern District of California and other locations. On July 13, 2022, both men sold 15 pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential source. Later that year on October 6, Nevarez-Erunez was arrested while possessing 40 pounds of methamphetamine and 5,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. A search at the residence shared by the two in the Los Angeles area led to the discovery of an additional seven pounds of methamphetamine and two-and-a-half pounds of fentanyl powder.
Niebla-Osuna previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine but failed to appear for sentencing on August 28, 2025. A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Haddy Abouzeid is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a collaborative effort among multiple agencies focused on dismantling criminal cartels and transnational criminal organizations operating within and outside U.S. borders. The task force prioritizes cases involving child trafficking or crimes against children and seeks to remove violent criminal aliens from the country. HSTF Sacramento includes personnel from HSI, FBI, DEA, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, with prosecutions led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
