FBI says man ran meth operation out of Calif. Round Table Pizza

Federal officials have accused a 50-year-old man of narcotics trafficking, alleging he was dealing methamphetamine out of a Round Table Pizza restaurant in Dinuba.

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The man, who authorities say is from India, was indicted on multiple felony charges by a grand jury last week in Fresno. The investigation started earlier this year as part of an ongoing federal probe into alleged organized crime rings run by people from India in the United States. 

On Aug. 18, investigators searched the man’s home and the Round Table Pizza restaurant. According to court documents, investigators discovered 21 bags of drugs weighing over 40 pounds combined at the man’s residence and in his car in the restaurant’s parking lot. They also seized two handguns at the restaurant, including one that lacked a serial number, and discovered over $11,000 in cash.

The suspect told investigators he hadn’t sold methamphetamine for months but instead was holding the drugs for a friend. Law enforcement confiscated the man’s phone and reportedly found photographic evidence of the drugs in the restaurant. They allege the suspect was selling the illegal drugs out of the normally family-friendly restaurant while armed with illegal handguns.

On Sept. 3, a federal grand jury indicted the man on multiple felony charges: distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

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If convicted, he faces a minimum of five years for the firearm charge and a minimum of 10 years for the drug trafficking charge, with a maximum sentence of life in prison, in addition to a fine of up to $10 million.

According to court records, the man pleaded not guilty to the charges on Sept. 3.

The Dinuba location of the Round Table Pizza is closed following the arrest. In a statement sent to GV Wire, the company confirmed the location is permanently closed and said the accused man had worked at the location for only a month and a half before he was arrested.