| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 5, 2009 WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/CAN |
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal grand jury in San Francisco charged nine individuals with multiple drug trafficking offenses, announced United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello.
The Indictment, which was unsealed yesterday afternoon, charges that between November of 2006 until January of 2009, Rafael Franco Perez, Josefina Rodriguez, Joel Ceja Mendoza, Vicente Franco Escalera, Eduardo Mendez Juarez, Veronica Alvarado Gutierrez, Cornelio Mata Espinoza, Anthony Johnston, and Janetta Johnson conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin and more than 50 grams of crystal methamphetamine.
In addition to the drug conspiracy described above, the Indictment charges the defendants with various substantive drug crimes. It also charges that two of the defendants, Rafael Franco Perez and Josefina Rodriguez, transported $353,877 in illegal drug proceeds from Northern California to Mexico. The Indictment further charges that on one occasion, Franco Perez used a minor to distribute heroin. The Indictment also charges defendant Anthony Johnston with possessing a firearm after having been convicted of a felony.
“The successes we achieved during Operation North Star led to the initiation of Operation Smack Down. The determination and drive to pursue armed drug dealers and rid them from our communities was the fuel that got us to the takedown today. The residents of communities throughout the Bay Area should hear our message loud and clear – we plan to make a difference”, said ATF’s Special Agent In Charge Stephen C. Herkins.
The maximum punishment for the drug conspiracy charged in Count 1 of the Indictment, in which each of the defendants is named, is life imprisonment, a lifetime period of supervised release, up to a $4,000,000 fine, and denial of Federal benefits. Count 1 also exposes each of the defendants to a mandatory minimum prison sentence of at least 10 years.
The Indictment unsealed yesterday is the culmination of an approximately two-year investigation led by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; together with agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration. During this time, ATF and DEA agents seized or recovered more than two kilograms of heroin; more than six kilograms of methamphetamine; $353,877 in cash; and multiple firearms.
Yesterday, the ATF, working with the DEA, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Narcotics Task Force and the Gang Intelligence Unit from San Mateo County, Calif.;, the California Highway Patrol; the Oakland, Calif., Police Department; the Bakersfield, Calif., Police Department; the Stockton, Calif., Police Department; and the San Francisco Police Department, arrested nine of the defendants charged in the Indictment. They also simultaneously executed more than a dozen search warrants throughout the Bay Area and elsewhere. In all, eight defendants were arraigned in court yesterday afternoon.
The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations.
An indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, these defendants must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Assistant United States Attorney S. Waqar Hasib is prosecuting this case, with the assistance of legal technician Hui Chen.
Further Information:
Case #: CR 09-103-MHP
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.
Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Jack Gillund at (415) 436-6599 or by email at Jack.Gillund@usdoj.gov.
This site does not contain all press releases or court filings and is not an official record of proceedings. Please contact the Clerk of Courts for the United States District Court for official copies of documents and public information.