Castroville man sentenced to prison for drug sales

CASTROVILLE, Calif. (KION) A Castroville man will spend eight years in prison after he was caught with drugs for the third time. He was charged with drug sales and unlawful possession of a gun.

Jose Luis Guerrero was first convicted for drug sales in 2017 after a search of his house. Law enforcement found a large amount of meth and heroin as well as bags and scales used for weighing and packaging drugs.

In March 2019, a deputy conducted a traffic stop and Guerrero was in the passenger's seat. Deputies found a digital scale and four phones by his feet. The glove compartment was locked, and Guerrero said the key was missing. When deputies got into it, they found a loaded handgun, meth and heroin. Guerrero had already been convicted of a felony, so he was not allowed to have a gun.

In July 2019, Guerrero was pulled over for talking on the phone while driving while out on bail. During the stop, deputies saw him put something under his leg. Investigators said Guerrero later admitted that it was meth. They looked through his phone and saw text messages from people requesting specific amounts of drugs.