Portland, Ore. – Miguel Ochoa Sanchez, 25, was sentenced on Monday, August 3, 2009, to 151 months in prison by United States District Judge Ancer L. Haggerty for distribution of methamphetamine. Sanchez was also sentenced to time served since his arrest for his participation in cockfighting, a felony under the Animal Welfare Act.
Sanchez pled guilty to both crimes after having been arrested on March 15, 2008 during the execution of numerous search warrants throughout Oregon and Eastern Washington, stemming from a joint two-year investigation into cockfighting and drug trafficking by the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the Inspector General (USDA-OIG) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Funding for the investigation was provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).
In December 2005, the USDA-OIG initiated the investigation into illegal rooster or gamecock derbies, commonly known as “cockfighting” occurring throughout Oregon and Washington. The DEA, Salem Resident Office, joined the investigation after learning that some of the cockfighting organizers, fighters, and spectators were involved in trafficking illegal narcotics. A task force of other federal, state, county and city police agencies including the Keizer Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Salem Police Department, and the DEA Yakima Resident Office and County Sheriff’s Office, in addition to many others, assisted with the investigation.
In early 2006, Sanchez was identified as one of the cockfighting participants involved in trafficking methamphetamine. During the investigation, Sanchez was observed participating in at least five cockfighting derbies, and distributing methamphetamine throughout Oregon and eastern Washington on multiple occasions. At one point Sanchez sold approximately one-quarter pound of methamphetamine that had been hidden in a chicken coop at his family’s home, and on another occasion he sold approximately one pound of methamphetamine to two undercover agents in Washington. Along with cocaine and marijuana, law enforcement seized 16 firearms from Sanchez’s family home in Silverton, Oregon at the time of Sanchez’s arrest.
The USDA-OIG and DEA referred the case to the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Several cases against other defendants arrested as a result of this investigation remain pending before the United States District Court.
The distribution of methamphetamine case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Brown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Peifer handled the prosecution of the charges under the Animal Welfare Act.
