Two More Guilty Pleas in Ongoing Nuestra Familia Drug Trafficking Prosecution

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Danny Pereda, aka T-Mighty, 29, of San Francisco; and Rebecca Guzman, 27, of Salinas, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to traffic methamphetamine and cocaine with the Nuestra Familia (NF), a violent Hispanic prison gang based within the California prison system whose members exert control over street-level Norteño gang members engaged in drug trafficking and violent crime.

The plea agreement for Pereda calls for a sentence of 20 years in prison, while the plea agreement for Guzman calls for a sentence of 14 years in prison. Sentencing for Guzman is set for July 23, 2012 and sentencing for Pereda is set for August 6, 2012.

According to court documents, between 2005 and 2007, Pereda functioned with the Nuestra Familia’s San Francisco and Salinas regiments to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine. Pereda admitted that at his peak, he was receiving between one to four kilograms of cocaine every other day and during the first half of 2007, he was receiving multiple pounds of methamphetamine on a regular basis.

According to court documents, Guzman admitted that beginning in early 2005 and continuing through the summer of 2006, she agreed to assist Nuestra Familia members to transport large quantities of drug money and drugs, including methamphetamine and cocaine. During the conspiracy, she frequently drove a green Honda Accord, equipped with hidden compartments, to the Moreno Valley area of California and picked up cocaine and methamphetamine. Guzman would then return with the drugs and deliver them to the Salinas area. She also transported more than 20 kilograms of cocaine from a drug supplier in Bakersfield. Between 2005 and 2006, NF member Paul Killinger used NF drug money to rent a Salinas apartment for Guzman. NF members, including Diaz, Killinger, and Robert Hanrahan, used the apartment to store and cut their methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as store firearms.

Two Successful Jury Trials

The initial indictment of 25 defendants in June 2007 led to two jury trials and the convictions of five defendants on multiple counts of drug trafficking. In the 2009 trial, one defendant demanded a speedy trial, was convicted, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In the 2010 trial, four of the NF’s leadership defendants were each convicted on all of the counts in the indictment after a contentious four-month jury trial. Today’s guilty plea by Gallegos is the first conviction in a January 2011 indictment.

Significant Sentences and Guilty Pleas

The initial indictment also resulted in a number of significant sentences:

April 21, 2010: Manuel Gauna was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison.

December 13, 2010: Richard Mendoza was sentenced to 17½ years in prison.

February 22, 2011: Bismark Ocampo was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

May 25, 2011: the trial defendants were sentenced to the following:

■Larry Amaro—40 years in prison;

■Ernest Killinger—36½ years in prison;

■Gerardo Mora—more than 33 years in prison;

■Jason Stewart-Hanson—25 years in prison.

July 25, 2011: Gabriel Caracheo was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

July 27, 2011:David Ramirez was sentenced to 15½ years in prison.

September 26, 2011: Fernando Villalpando was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

October 17, 2011: Faustino Gonzalez was sentenced to 15½ years in prison.

November 28, 2011: Oscar Campos-Padilla was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

April 9, 2012: Juan Gallegos pleaded guilty; sentencing: July 9, 2012.

These cases were part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the FBI’s Stockton Violent Crime Task Force, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force, the Stockton Police Department, the Salinas Police Department, the Watsonville Police Department, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong are prosecuting the case.

When prosecuted in federal court, drug traffickers typically receive much harsher sentences. In addition to the longer sentences imposed, unlike state court prisoners who are released early on parole, there is no early release on parole in the federal system.

Nuestra Familia Gang Member Pleads Guilty in Ongoing Nuestra Familia Drug Trafficking Prosecution

SACRAMENTO—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Juan Gallegos, aka Wino, 35, of Salinas, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to traffic methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana and to four other drug trafficking felonies. Sentencing is set for July 9, 2012.

This case is the product of an investigation into the activities of the Nuestra Familia, a violent Hispanic prison gang based in the California and federal prison systems. The gang exerts control over street-level Norteño gang members engaged in drug trafficking and violent crime.

According to the guilty plea, between 2004 and 2007, Gallegos and others distributed methamphetamine and cocaine for the Nuestra Familia’s Salinas Regiment. Previous trial testimony established that he transported, cut, and distributed methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana. During the same time period, Gallegos also assisted in transporting large loads of methamphetamine and cocaine from Southern California to Northern California.

In May 2007, Gallegos and others met at a bar in San Juan Bautista to plan the transportation and distribution of 20 kilograms of cocaine. A suitable driver was selected based upon his lack of criminal history and a rental car was obtained to act as the “load” car. Gallegos helped to provide “security” by following the load car. On May 4, 2007, the two vehicles headed to the Los Angeles area to pick up the 20 kilograms of cocaine. The 20 kilograms of cocaine were picked up by the load car. While the drug exchange occurred, agents intercepted a call with the drug supplier. Gallegos is heard in the background of the call explaining to the supplier that the driver of the load car has a cover story and, if the load car is stopped, Gallegos will use his vehicle to create a diversion. During his guilty plea, Gallegos admitted that he provided security for the 20 kilograms of cocaine as they were transported in furtherance of the overall NF drug trafficking conspiracy.

Two Successful Jury Trials

The initial indictment of 25 defendants in June of 2007 led to two jury trials and the convictions of five defendants on multiple counts of drug trafficking. In the 2009 trial, one defendant demanded a speedy trial and was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison. In the 2010 trial, four of the NF’s leadership defendants were each convicted on all counts in the indictment after a contentious four-month jury trial. Today’s guilty plea by Gallegos is the first conviction in a January 2011 indictment.

Significant Sentences and Guilty Pleas

The initial indictment also resulted in a number of significant sentences:

April 21, 2010: Manuel Gauna was sentenced to more than 21 years in prison.

December 13, 2010: Richard Mendoza was sentenced to 17 ½ years in prison.

February 22, 2011: Bismark Ocampo was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

May 25, 2011: Trial defendants were sentenced to the following:

■Larry Amaro—40 years in prison.

■Ernest Killinger—36 ½ years in prison.

■Gerardo Mora—more than 33 years in prison.

■Jason Stewart-Hanson—25 years in prison.

July 25, 2011: Gabriel Caracheo was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

July 27, 2011: David Ramirez was sentenced to 15 ½ years in prison.

September 26, 2011: Fernando Villalpando was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

October 17, 2011: Faustino Gonzalez was sentenced to 15 ½ years in prison.

November 28, 2011: Oscar Campos-Padilla was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

These cases were part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the FBI’s Stockton Violent Crime Task Force, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force, the Stockton Police Department, the Salinas Police Department, the Watsonville Police Department, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong are prosecuting the case.

When prosecuted in federal court, drug traffickers typically receive much harsher sentences. In addition to the longer sentences imposed, unlike state court prisoners who are released early on parole, there is no early release on parole in the federal system.

Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 25 Years in Ongoing Nuestra Familia Gang Prosecution

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb sentenced Gabriel Caracheo, 38, of Salinas, today to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the FBI’s Stockton Violent Crime Task Force, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force (METRO), the Stockton Police Department, the Salinas Police Department, the Watsonville Police Department, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) that was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong prosecuted the case.

According to evidence introduced in a related trial, the Nuestra Familia (NF) is a violent Hispanic prison gang based in the California prison system, which exerts control over street-level Norteño gang members engaged in drug trafficking and violent crime. NF members and associates were responsible for distributing large amounts of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy in the Eastern and Northern Districts of California with supply lines from Mexico and distribution channels throughout the United States.

According to court documents, between April 2004 and June 2007, more than 20 individuals were operating outside of prison to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana on behalf of the NF. In April 2007, Caracheo was given authority over the NF’s drug trafficking operations in the East Bay Area, which included Oakland. Caracheo obtained and distributed pound quantities of methamphetamine from Mario Diaz and others while Diaz lived in Los Banos. The methamphetamine was obtained from Southern California and transported through the Eastern District of California over Interstate 5 into the Salinas area.

Between March 22, 2007 and May 26, 2007, the FBI intercepted Caracheo in multiple drug-related phone calls with Diaz. As part of his plea agreement, Caracheo admitted that the intercepted calls involved him talking to Diaz about pound quantities of methamphetamine and the differing quality of methamphetamine available. Caracheo further admitted that on May 26, 2007, he was planning to get 1½ pounds of methamphetamine from Diaz, but law enforcement officers arrested Diaz.

Become educated about organized crime by reading the best organized crime books and join the effort to fight organized crime

Nuestra Familia Gang Member Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison in Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that Bismark Martin Ocampo, 40, of San Francisco, was sentenced today to 28 years in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the FBI's Stockton Violent Crime Task Force, the San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force, the Stockton Police Department, the Salinas Police Department, the Watsonville Police Department, the Monterey County Sheriff's Department, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jason Hitt and William S. Wong are prosecuting the case.

According to court documents, from the summer of 2006 until June 2007, Ocampo worked with the Nuestra Familia to traffic cocaine in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Nuestra Familia (NF) is a violent Hispanic prison gang based within the California prison system whose members exert control over street-level Norteño gang members engaged in drug trafficking and violent crime. This investigation revealed that NF members and associates were responsible for distributing large amounts of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and Ecstasy throughout the Eastern and Northern Districts of California with supply lines from Mexico and distribution channels throughout the United States.

At sentencing, United States District Judge William B. Shubb took into account Ocampo's serious criminal history that includes multiple violent felony convictions and said that the sentence reflected the need to protect the public from future crimes by him.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program that was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation's drug supply.

This article was sponsored by Police Leadership Books.

Armed Salinas Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison

SAN JOSE, Calif. — An armed Salinas drug trafficker was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge James Ware, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.

A jury found Dalmacio Ramirez Santos guilty on seven felony drug distribution and firearm charges following a two-week trial that ended in May. Evidence at trial showed that Santos, 37, sold methamphetamine to government agents on at least four different times in 2008 and 2009 in Salinas. Agents from the FBI and ATF testified about the drugs sold by Santos and a gun and ammunition found in his truck on Feb. 25, 2009. Four chemists from the DEA’s San Francisco drug laboratory testified about the drugs distributed and possessed by Santos. In total, the jury determined that Santos distributed or possessed 209.2 grams of methamphetamine and 259.3 grams of a mixture or substance containing cocaine.

The trial followed an arrest made by officers from the Salinas Police Department after they stopped and searched Santos’s truck when he ran a stop sign near an elementary school on Feb. 25, 2009. At that time, in addition to the loaded gun that was found inside a bag on the back seat of his truck, Santos possessed more than one-half pound each of cocaine and methamphetamine packaged for sale and a digital scale. Santos also possessed $4,018 in cash rolled in his pockets.

“We will not tolerate gangsters, drug traffickers, and violent felons terrorizing our community,” U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said. “This case demonstrates the cooperation between federal enforcers and the Salinas Police Department in pursuing and prosecuting the most dangerous offenders.”

“This drug trafficker will no longer plague our communities with crimes that are inherently dangerous with the use of firearms to further a drug trafficking enterprise,” stated Special Agent in Charge Stephen C. Herkins. “The success of the investigation is attributed to the outstanding cooperation between the investigating agencies.”

As part of his sentence, Santos also must serve five years of supervised release following his prison term, pay a $700 court assessment, and forfeit his gun, ammunition, and $4,018 to the government. Santos was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Jose on March 18, 2009. He has been in custody since his arrest.

Nat Cousins, Allison Danner, and Daniel Kaleba are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who prosecuted the case, with the assistance of legal technicians Nina Burney and Tracey Andersen. Santos’s sentencing follows a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the Salinas Police Department; with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

Over 800 Cop Books

Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books surpassed 800 books written by police officers with the addition of Joseph C. Hoffman, John Manca, William (Bill) H. Lippert, John Anderson and Alan Burton.

Joseph Hoffman was New York City’s First Deputy Police Commissioner in the first administration of Mayor Edward I. Koch. He served in all ranks, from patrol officer to deputy chief during his 29 year career with the New York Police Department. Post NYPD, Mayor Koch asked him to serve as President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation. He has written to police procedurals, Acts and Omissions, and The Last Mayor.

According to the Acts and Omissions book description, “The investigation of the killings takes some strange turns and hits some unexpected detours, creating serious personal and political implications for McCabe and Russo. The Chief Medical Examiner will raise some forensic questions, the Bronx chapter of the Genovese mob will get some unwelcome scrutiny; and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York will eagerly jump into the investigation when some surprising, almost inconceivable conspiracies emerge.”

According to Publisher’s Weekly, Tin for Sale “rather than glamorizing Mafia figures, lays to rest the myths of the quintessential loving, cohesive and protective Italian-American family on the fringes of New York City organized crime. John Manca grew up in a home presided over by a brutal grandfather--one of Lucky Luciano's boys--who beat him regularly while his parents sat by, not daring to interfere. In due course John Manca became a police officer and within a few weeks began using his badge as a way to steal, cheat and extort, which he portrays as standard practice in the New York Police Department of 1954-1963. Dismissed from the force, he worked all sorts of scams as "half a wiseguy," allied with but not a member of the Cosa Nostra. Eventually he was imprisoned, then put in the Federal Witness Protection Program.”

William Lippert retired as police detective from the Salinas Police Department (California) after 35 years of public service. Bill specialized in latent fingerprint identifications while working major crime investigations. Through his studies, training and experience Bill became an expert as a latent fingerprint examiner and has testified as an expert witness in various cities in California. He also possesses a lifetime teaching credential in the field of police science and has taught College, police academy and in service law enforcement training classes. He is also an accredited member of the American Federation of Police.

His book, Forensic Justice, is a series true case files in the form of short stories. According to the book description, “Shocking revelations are reflected in this book describing abuse of victims by their attackers. The purpose of these descriptions are not meant to be entertaining but rather a wake-up call so we may become aware of the dangers that face our society. Awareness hopefully will motivate us to take precautions against becoming victims of such heinous crimes.”

John Anderson retired as a chief with the California Highway Patrol. His book, The Newhall Incident: America’s Worst Uniformed Cop Massacre, recounts the shooting deaths on April 5, 1970, of four California Highway Patrol Officers. This incident is probably used as a field tactics training exercise or lecture in every American police academy. According to the back cover of the book, “Shortly after the tragedy, Anderson interviewed the victims’ families and the on surviving killer and conducted extensive research on both killers’ backgrounds. He wrote this frighteningly true, Capote-esque account but held off publishing it for over two decades to give the children of slain officers time to grow to adulthood.”

Alan Burton's first book was published while he was a student at the FBI National Academy.. He served 25 years in the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office (California). He retired as a captain. According to one biography he has published 18 books. However, we have located nine books, seven of which are academic works centered on police department communications. As an example, he wrote Police Communications Guide: For Managers in 1984.

Alan Burton has published as least two novels Terrorist and Duty!: A Cop’s Story. Duty follows the career of a fictional officer from his first day to running for election as County Sheriff. According to one reviewer, “I have been a law enforcement professional for nearly 10 years and this novel is full of stories that could have only been written by a cop. The story follows a young deputy through out his career and into the stresses of the job. Many pages in this book had me laughing (out loud) and shaking my head when I recalled similar incidents.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 364 police officers (representing 152 police departments) and their 807 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.