FRESNO, Calif. (KERO) — A 33-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl in Bakersfield, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California.

According to court documents, Jesus Adrian Pena-Gamez, a citizen of Mexico, and a codefendent met in a Bakersfield restaurant parking lot to sell 15,000 counterfeit M-30 pills containing fentanyl to a person on April 7th. During the meeting, Pena-Gamez and his codefendent were arrested and officers found three pounds of pills containing a detectable amount of fentanyl in Pena-Gamez’s vehicle, according to court documents.

Codefendant Carlos Ivan Campana is charged in the indictment on suspicion of distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine on three prior occasions between November 2020 and April 2021. Campana is scheduled to appear for a status conference on March 9th, 2022.

Pena-Gamez faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum term of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.

The case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.