Leader Of Bay Area Drug Distribution Network Sentenced To Six Years In Prison

SAN FRANCISCO - Andy Manuel Reanos-Moreno was sentenced to 72 months in prison for his role in a large-scale drug distribution conspiracy announced U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Wade R. Shannon.  Senior United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer handed down the sentence.

Reanos-Moreno, 27, of Oakland, California, pleaded guilty to the charge on November 10, 2021, without a written plea agreement.  According to court documents, Reanos-Moreno was the leader of a vast network of street-level drug dealers who sold drugs in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco.  Documents filed in connection with Reanos-Moreno’s sentencing describe a sophisticated operation that provided drugs for resale and housing for street-level dealers in Oakland who then commuted into San Francisco where the drugs were sold.

In pleading guilty, Reanos-Moreno admitted running his network of dealers from at least January 15, 2019, to July 31, 2019.  Described in charging and sentencing documents as “redistributors,” Reanos-Moreno supplied these individuals with heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and cocaine base. In exchange, the dealers were expected to purchase drugs for resale from only Reanos-Moreno.  The dealers called Reanos-Moreno on a nearly daily basis to place orders for re-supplies of drugs. Reanos-Moreno’s role as the head of the organization involved sourcing the drugs from Southern California, renting houses and apartments for dealers, and managing customer relations. Reanos-Moreno used undocumented street-level dealers and used his knowledge of immigration laws to threaten dealers who did not sell enough narcotics for the organization.  The government’s sentencing memorandum concludes that Reanos-Moreno “used his legal immigration status, his knowledge of real estate in the area, and his ability to pay upfront costs such as deposits on apartments as a means of both enticing street-level dealers to work for his organization and then holding their feet to the fire to ensure that they sold enough drugs or else they would lose their housing or face potential legal jeopardy.”  

On August 1, 2019, the United States Attorney filed a federal criminal complaint against Reanos-Moreno, charging him with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1).  Subsequently, a federal grand jury issued an indictment charging Reanos-Moreno with the same violation.  Pursuant to his guilty plea, he admitted he committed the crime.   

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Breyer also ordered Reanos-Moreno to serve 48 months of supervised release and forfeit over $25,000 seized from his home at the time of arrest.  Reanos-Moreno has been in custody since August 7, 2019, and will begin to serve his prison term immediately.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sailaja M. Paidipaty and Ryan Rezaei are prosecuting the case with assistance from Madeline Wachs and Linda Love.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA, San Francisco Police Department, and Richmond Police Department.