Three of the four California men who were arrested in Bensalem in June with approximately 40,000 fentanyl pills and 11 pounds of methamphetamine pleaded guilty on Monday, March 13, 2023 and were sentenced to state prison.

Ramon Caro, 19, Alex Zaragoza, 22, and Arturo Avila, 37, all of Riverside, entered guilty pleas to possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, and criminal conspiracy. They also pleaded guilty to two counts each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

They appeared before President Judge Wallace H. Bateman Jr. Pleas to enter their pleas. Caro was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison with a concurrent 15 years of probation; Avila was sentenced to 7 ½ to 15 years in state prison with a concurrent 15 years of probation and Zaragoza was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in state prison with a concurrent 10 years of probation.

A fourth defendant, Anthony Gonzales, 26, also of Riverside, is awaiting trial.

This investigation was conducted by the Bensalem Township Police Special Investigations Unit and the Philadelphia DEA HIDTA Task Force.

On June 9, during the joint operation, investigators observed the four men exit a hotel and get into a vehicle with a California license plate. One of the men was carrying a camouflage backpack.

The four men were taken into custody in the 3300 block of Street Road, and the drugs were recovered from inside the backpack. The drugs have an estimated street value of more than $1 million.

The arrests and seizures were made possible by the ongoing partnership between the Bensalem Township Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon prosecuted this case.

Media Contact: Manuel Gamiz Jr., 215.348.6298, mgamiz@buckscounty.org