Jose Trinidad Bueno Garcia sentenced to 15 years for leading large-scale drug trafficking ring
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Jose Trinidad Bueno Garcia of Van Nuys was sentenced to 15 years in state prison for operating a large-scale fentanyl trafficking scheme across Ventura County.
Garcia previously pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to possess fentanyl for sale and admitted that the offense involved more than four kilograms of fentanyl which triggered a weight enhancement at his later sentencing detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Of his 15 year sentence, 13 of those years come from enhancements authorized after the passage of Proposition 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act in November of 2024, explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
That law increased the sentencing penalties defendants face depending on the gross weight of the narcotics involved in their charged violations and took effect in December of 2024.
Between May and October of last year, detectives with the Ventura County Combined Agency Team investigated a Los Angeles County-based drug trafficking organization and established that the organization was sourcing fentanyl and methamphetamine from Mexico and selling those drugs in Ventura County shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
On Oct. 1, 2025, detectives executed a search warrant at Garcia's home in Van Nuys were they seized about 3,574 gross grams of fentanyl, 261 grams of methamphetamine, $32,406, and additional evidence of narcotics sales detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The image below, courtesy of the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, shows some of the seized items from the Oct. 1 search of Garcia's home.
Search warrants were also served at four other locations and a total of around 6,517 grams of fentanyl, an estimated equivalent of 325,850 lethal doses noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Additional defendants connected to the investigation are scheduled for an early disposition conference on Jan. 29, 2026, stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
"This defendant led a drug trafficking organization responsible for moving an enormous amount of
fentanyl into our community, putting countless lives at risk," said Deputy District Attorney Devin Mirchi who prosecuted the case. "This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s conduct and sends a clear message that fentanyl trafficking will be met with significant consequences in Ventura County."
