East Bay Drug Traffickers Sentenced To 15 Years And 10 Years In Prison

OAKLAND – Michael Vicochea was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Christian Vanleer was sentenced to 10 years in prison, for their respective roles in a drug distribution conspiracy and related crimes, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen.  The sentences were handed down by the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., U.S. District Judge.

Vicochea, 26, of Tracy, Calif., pleaded guilty on August 20, 2018, to drug trafficking, weapons, and money laundering charges.  According to his plea agreement, Vicochea conspired with co-defendant Oscar Escalante and others to distribute heroin and multiple pounds of methamphetamine.  For example, Vicochea admitted that in July and August of 2016, Escalante supplied him with methamphetamine.  On August 24, 2016, Vicochea’s nephew, Christian Vanleer, 26, of Oakland, possessed a pound of the drugs that Vicochea acknowledged he was responsible for selling.  Vicochea also was responsible for giving to Escalante part of the proceeds of the sales after the drugs were sold.  Vicochea also admitted that beginning in September 2014, he operated an indoor marijuana grow at his house that resulted in about 80 plants per harvest every 60-72 days.  In addition, Vicochea admitted he assisted with the operations of other grow houses operated by his co-defendants and that he distributed marijuana from the operations in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida.  

With respect to the firearms charges, Vicochea admitted he possessed a red Sig Sauer P220 pistol in furtherance of the drug trafficking crimes.  He acknowledged that he possessed the firearm in order to protect himself and the marijuana grow at his house.

Further, Vicochea admitted he helped Escalante launder proceeds of the drug distribution.  For example, in December of 2015, he deposited $46,100 in cash to accounts controlled by Escalante.  To evade reporting requirements and to conceal that the funds were the proceeds of drug trafficking, Vicochea made deposits in amounts of $9,000 or less and at multiple bank branches in Tuscaloosa, Ala.  Vicochea acknowledged depositing more than $165,000 into various bank accounts in furtherance of the money laundering scheme.  

On December 15, 2016, a federal grand jury returned a Superseding Indictment charging Vicochea with the following crimes: conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 or more marijuana plants, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h); possession and transfer of a machine gun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o); distribution and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); and money laundering by concealment, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1).  Vicochea pleaded guilty to four counts and the remaining counts were dismissed.

Vanleer pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy on November 19, 2018, pursuant to a two-count Superseding Information, alleging conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, and 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c).  

According to his plea agreement, as early as December 2, 2015, and until August 24, 2016, Vanleer conspired with his codefendants to distribute cocaine, heroin, alprazolam, and methamphetamine.  His role was to engage in street-level sales, take his share of the proceeds, and transmit the remainder of the proceeds to his co-conspirators.  On August 24, 2016, law enforcement officers seized a pound of methamphetamine from a backpack Vanleer was carrying.  Vanleer acknowledged that he had allowed Vicochea to store the methamphetamine at Vanleer’s apartment in Oakland.  Vanleer further admitted that, along with the methamphetamine, he had a pistol in the backpack to protect himself and the drugs.  

In addition to the prison terms, Judge Gilliam also ordered Vicochea and Vanleer to serve 5 years and 4 years of supervised release, respectively.  Vanleer was ordered to pay a fine of $25,100 representing money paid to him by an undercover officer during controlled buy operations in 2016. 

In addition to Vicochea and Vanleer, Judge Gilliam has sentenced the following defendants in connection with the conspiracy: 
 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Riebli and Katherine Wawrzyniak are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rebecca Shelton.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA.  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.