FRESNO â High-ranking Nuestra Familia prison gang member Salvador Castro Jr., 50, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Castro used a contraband cellphone from inside Pleasant Valley State Prison in Fresno County to arrange for the formation of a new street gang regiment in Kings and Tulare counties. According to the plea agreement, Castro was recorded on a wiretap conspiring with associates outside of prison to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
Between May 5, 2019, and May 15, 2019, Castro coordinated the transportation of approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine from the Sacramento area to a residence in Visalia. Castro arranged for co-conspirators outside of prison to protect the narcotics during transit, and when the drugs arrived in Visalia, Castro and his co-conspirators discussed plans to distrib