Nine Defendants Indicted for Trafficking Heroin and Methamphetamine in San Joaquin County

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment today against nine defendants, charging them with various drug and firearms offenses, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

The defendants are:

Jose Encarnacion Mayo Rodriguez, 32, of Lathrop;

Sylvia Zambrano, 56, of Lathrop;

Yesenia Lopez, 38, of Lathrop;

Maria Luisa Escamilla-Lopez, 39, of Stockton;

Juan Chavarria, 19, of Stockton;

Juan Ramon Lopez, 39, of Stockton;

Nereyda Alvarez, 32, of Stockton;

Phillip Allen Bailey, 48, of Stockton; and

Charles James Billingsley Jr., 51, of Stockton.

According to court records, Mayo led a drug trafficking organization in San Joaquin County that included several family members and associates. Mayo and his co-defendants met with an undercover agent five times between March and Oct. 2019 and sold undercover law enforcement officers heroin and methamphetamine. Law enforcement seized 28 pounds of methamphetamine and 2 pounds of heroin from co-defendant Yesenia Lopez during a traffic stop. On Dec. 5, agents executed search warrants at eight locations, which resulted in the seizure of over 44 pounds of methamphetamine, 10 pounds of heroin, 2 pounds of cocaine, 10 firearms, and $128,000 in cash.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the California Highway Patrol. 

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). 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.

If convicted of the most significant charges, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account several variables. These charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.  Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see https://www.justice.gov.