BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A man was convicted on June 11 of multiple charges related to possessing “massive quantities” of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine in his home, intended for sale, according to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.
A Kern County Jury last week found Ruben Gutierrez Garcia guilty of five counts of possessing narcotics for sales, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine, and maintaining his residence for the purposes of sales, said the DA.
On Sept. 11, 2025, detectives with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, with the Bakersfield Police Department and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), executed a search warrant at Garcia’s home to search for and seize illegal drugs.
In the search, the following massive quantities of processed and packaged narcotics were found in the home, said officials:
45 pounds of methamphetamine10 pounds of fentanyl2.5 pounds of heroin2 pounds of cocaine saltComment with Bubbles
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The drugs that were confiscated nearly totaled $1,000,000.
Kern County DA Cynthia Zimmer stated, “There has been a significant shift in the penalties faced by high-volume narcotics dealers following the passing of Proposition 36. Although weight-based sentencing enhancements for hard drugs previously existed, Proposition 36 made substantial changes by requiring qualifying enhancements to be served in state prison rather than county jail, in addition to creating fentanyl-specific weight enhancements. Proposition 36 ensures that offenders who flood our communities with deadly substances face meaningful consequences that match the seriousness of these crimes.”
The jury also found true the special allegations that Garcia possessed more than 1 kilogram of fentanyl, more than 1 kilogram of heroin, and more than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine.
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Garcia is set to be sentenced on July 14, 2026, where he faces up to 21 years in state prison