BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A Bakersfield man has been sentenced to 24 years and 6 months in federal prison for transporting over 130 pounds of methamphetamine to Tampa International Airport, Florida, and for his connection to an unrelated 2023 drug and kidnapping case in Holiday, Florida.
Jacob Paul Arjona, 32, pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His current sentence will run concurrently with a separate federal sentence of 17 years and 7 months from a prior methamphetamine trafficking and kidnapping case in Florida. Arjona has been in custody since February 25, 2025.
According to court records, Arjona recruited Hernan Cruz-Moreno and Agustin Ortiz-Sanchez to transport more than 120 pounds of methamphetamine in their luggage on a flight from Los Angeles to Tampa on May 3, 2023. Arjona traveled separately to Florida to oversee the distribution. Cruz-Moreno was arrested at Tampa International Airport and later sentenced to 7 years and 3 months in April 2024. Ortiz-Sanchez remains a fugitive.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents matched fingerprints on the seized methamphetamine to Arjona and confirmed his travel records, linking him to similar drug operations involving meth and marijuana in other states. The investigation also connected Arjona to a separate October 2023 drug and kidnapping case in Holiday, Florida, for which he had pleaded guilty in December 2024.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe praised the law enforcement coordination, stating, “We will continue to work together to prevent the flow of dangerous drugs into our communities across the Middle District of Florida.”
HSI Tampa Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Calvo added, “Illicit narcotics like methamphetamine pose a grave threat that destroys lives, tears apart families, and undermines the safety of neighborhoods. We are dedicated to stopping these criminals from importing the devastating effects of illegal drugs into our communities.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Tampa International Airport Police Department.
