FRESNO -  A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment Thursday against Los Angeles residents Josue Garcia-Beltran, 40, and Rafael Medina Labrada, 34, charging them with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on February 25, 2019, the defendants were arrested delivering methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Fresno. Forty-five pounds of methamphetamine were seized during the operation.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), composed of law enforcement personnel from Homeland Security Investigations, the California Department of Justice, the Fresno Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. HIIT conducts major narcotic and other major criminal investigations in the Central Valley. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Schuh is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Garcia-Beltran and Labrada face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. 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.