Mexican Nationals Charged with Drug Trafficking and Illegal Firearms Possession

FRESNO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Mexican nationals Manuel Gomez-Sanchez, 39, and David Alejandro Sandoval Canales, 41, charging both men with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, on March 24, 2026, Gomez-Sanchez and Sandoval were driving northbound on U.S. Interstate-5 in Kings County when they were stopped for traffic violations. A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded 10 pounds of methamphetamine packaged into single-pounds increments, a digital scale, ammunition, two notebooks containing information consistent with narcotic sales and purchases, a loaded Berretta semiautomatic handgun, and an AR-15 rifle.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the California Highway Patrol, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA) and the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas E. Karp is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Gomez-Sanchez and Sandoval face a minimum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime both defendants face a minimum sentence of five consecutive years in prison, a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, and a fine up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.