A Santa Ana probationer was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on charges of possessing large quantities of narcotics, including the synthetic opioid fentanyl, that he allegedly intended to distribute.
Guillermo Ernesto Sanchez Hermosillo, who was on probation in a domestic violence case, is charged in the five-count indictment with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
After getting a tip that Hermosillo was allegedly involved in drug trafficking, Huntington Beach police and an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms special agent went to the 41-year-old defendant’s apartment on July 31 to do a probation check on him, Mrozek said.
Investigators found 2,722 grams of methamphetamine, 1,992 grams of heroin and 891 grams of fentanyl wrapped in plastic in a bedroom closet, according to Mrozek, who said .45-caliber Glock handgun and eight rounds of ammunition were also seized. He did not have a street value for the drugsc.
Three children were in the apartment at the time of the search, including a 3-week-old baby, Mrozek said.
Hermosillo pleaded guilty March 13 to a misdemeanor count of battery. A felony charge of bringing or sending drugs into jail were dismissed as part of the plea deal, according to state court records, which show that he was sentenced to four days in jail, placed on three years of informal probation, and ordered to take part in a batterers’ treatment program and perform eight hours of community service.
He was scheduled to appear for a probation violation hearing in Orange County Superior Court on Oct. 17. It was not immediately clear when Hermosillo, who is being held in Orange County Jail on the probation violation allegations, would appear on charges in the indictment in federal court.
Because of the quantities of narcotics involved, each of the three drug-trafficking charges Hermosillo faces carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, and a potential life sentence, according to Mrozek. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime carries a mandatory, five-year consecutive sentence to any sentence imposed for the narcotics offenses. The charge of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm carries a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison.