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Drug trafficker sentenced to federal prison By Vickie Aldous By Mail Tribune staff Updated: Nov 29, 2022 03:10 PM A A Jose Baldemar Izar A California man with multiple prior felony drug trafficking convictions over more than two decades was sentenced to seven years in federal prison after he was caught transporting nearly 2 kilograms of methamphetamine from California to Southern Oregon, according to federal prosecutors. Jose Baldemar Izar, 42, of Lancaster, California, was sentenced Tuesday. According to court documents, in October 2020, investigators from the Douglas Area Interagency Narcotics Team received a tip that Izar was trafficking drugs from California to Oregon for distribution in the Roseburg area. Further investigation revealed Izar was in frequent contact with several suspected meth dealers in the Roseburg area and he was known to drive vehicles rented under another name. Douglas Area Interagency Narcotics Team officers learned Izar would be traveling March 17, 2021, from California to Douglas County. The same day, they stopped a rented vehicle in which Izar was a passenger. Investigators searched the vehicle and located more than 1,700 grams of methamphetamine, a small quantity of heroin and drug packaging materials, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Izar and a co-conspirator were charged with possessing meth with intent to distribute the drug, plus conspiring with each other to possess and distribute meth. Izar pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge Nov. 3 this year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. This case was investigated by the Douglas Area Interagency Narcotics Team and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Jeffrey Sweet. Formed in October 1989, the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team is a special investigative unit for combating illegal narcotics activity in Douglas County. Member agencies include Douglas County — including the Douglas County sheriff and District Attorney’s Office — the Oregon National Guard, Oregon State Police and Roseburg Police Department.