Two from Delhi plead guilty in meth scheme

Two more Delhi men on Monday pleaded guilty to involvement in a scheme to ship methamphetamine to Hawaii, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported Tuesday.

Miguel Leontapia, 33, was convicted of possessing meth with the intent to distribute the drug, and Gilberto Chavez Leon, 29, was convicted of conspiring to smuggle cash in bulk.

A third defendant in the meth scheme is Eduardo Zazueta Garcia, 28, also from Delhi. Last week, Garcia pleaded guilty to possessing meth with the intent to distribute the drug.

In August 2012, Leontapia and his co-defendants obtained about 3 pounds of meth that they tried to ship to Hawaii, federal prosecutors said. Instead, investigators seized the meth.

Leon admitted that he and a co‑conspirator traveled to Hawaii where they picked up about $67,000 cash, according to prosecutors.

They then tried to take that cash, concealed on their bodies and in their luggage, on a flight from Honolulu to Oakland. The three defendants are scheduled to be sentenced March 2. Leontapia and Garcia face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a $10 million fine each.

Leon faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Stanislaus Drug Enforcement Agency and the Modesto Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rooney is prosecuting the case.

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 7:50 PM with the headline "Two from Delhi plead guilty in meth scheme."