Full Notification

Good Afternoon San Mateo-
Below is a press release from the Department of Justice – U.S. Attorney's Office regarding the ATF and allied agency operation that occurred yesterday morning in our city. 
 
We wanted to thank our community for your support and patience! Please note we are unable to share any further information at this time as we are not the primary agency in this case.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/CAN
July 12, 2018
 
FEDERAL AGENTS MAKE ARRESTS RELATED TO METHAMPHETAMINE TRAFFICKING IN SAN MATEO COUNTY
 
            SAN FRANCISCO – Six San Mateo residents were indicted on various charges involving methamphetamine trafficking announced Acting United States Attorney Alex G. Tse; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Jill Snyder; and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen.  The charges range from possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and have resulted in arrests yesterday at numerous locations in San Mateo during coordinated law enforcement actions.
 
The six people arrested yesterday were charged in one of four indictments that were unsealed this morning.  In the first indictment, Ricardo Sanchez and Jesus Dario Gutierrez-Ramirez, both 28 years old, were charged along with other defendants in an alleged conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  According to the indictment, between August 1, 2017 and May 29, 2018, Ricardo Sanchez and Jesus Dario Gutierrez-Ramirez conspired with others to distribute  more than 500 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine.
 
The second indictment charges Emmanuel Gonzalez Sanchez, 24, and Luis Ramon Zamora Angulo, age 41, with a separate conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  In addition, the indictment charges Angulo with two substantive counts of possessing with intent to distribute and distributing methamphetamine.
 
The third and fourth indictments are single-count, single-defendant indictments.  One charges Alfredo Angel Enciso Maldonado, 37, with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 17, 2018; the other charges Edwin Alejandro Cervantes Sanchez with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 12, 2018.    
 
In sum, the defendants face the following charges and, if found guilty, the following minimum and maximum statutory sentences:
 
 

Defendant Name	Case Number	Charges	Minimum/ Maximum Statutory Penalties
Ricardo Sanchez	18-299 SI	Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A)	Minimum 10 years and maximum lifetime in prison Minimum 5 years and maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $10 million fine
Jesus Dario Gutierrez-Ramirez	18-299 SI	Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A)	Minimum 10 years and maximum lifetime in prison Minimum 5 years and maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $10 million fine
Emmanuel Gonzalez Sanchez	18-278 WHA	Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)	Maximum 20 years in prison Minimum 3 years, maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $1 million fine
		Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)	Maximum 20 years in prison Minimum 3 years, maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $1 million fine
		Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)	Minimum 5 years and maximum 40 years in prison Minimum 4 years, maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $5 million fine
Luis Ramon Zamora Angulo	18-278 WHA	Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)	Maximum 20 years in prison Minimum 3 years, maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $1 million fine
Alfredo Angel Enciso Maldonado	18-277 EMC	Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(viii)	Minimum 5 years, maximum 40 years in prison Minimum 4 years, maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $5 million fine
Edwin Alejandro Cervantes Sanchez	18-279 WHO	Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(viii)	Minimum 5 years, maximum 40 years in prison Minimum 4 years, maximum lifetime of supervised release following prison term Maximum $5 million fine

 
            An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  In addition, any sentence following conviction will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
 
All six defendants, except Angulo, made their initial appearances this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James.  Each, including Angulo, is scheduled to appear tomorrow for further proceedings to include identifying counsel for each defendant. 
 
            Assistant United States Attorney Sheila Armbrust is prosecuting this case.  This case is the result of an investigation by the ATF, DEA, San Mateo Police Department, and San Mateo County Sherriff’s Department.  This case was investigated and prosecuted by member agencies of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
 
Further Information:
 
            A copy of this press release will be placed 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 Abraham Simmons at (415) 436-7264 or by e-mail at [email protected].