A former Stockton correctional officer pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday to conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office .
Fidel Andrade, 36, faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison along with co-defendant Neftali Castillo Montes.
Andrade worked as a correctional officer for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation while distributing cocaine. However, he was not charged with selling cocaine while on the job.
Between January and October 2020, Andrade supplied cocaine to Montes, who then sold more than nine ounces of the drug to a “confidential source” working with the FBI, according to court documents. An additional ounce of cocaine was found at Andrade’s Stockton home during a March 2021 search, federal prosecutors said.
Montes pleaded guilty for his role in the conspiracy on July 15.
The case was part of an investigation conducted by multiple state and federal agencies, including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the U.S. Customs and Borders Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Tracy Police Department.