North Bay Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced To Ten Years In Prison

SAN FRANCISCO – Jose Vasquez Bautista was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Jill Snyder.  The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Thelton E. Henderson, U.S. District Judge, following the entry of Bautista’s guilty plea to the charge on February 27, 2017. 

Bautista, 42, of Lodi, Calif., admitted that on June 3, 2015, he attempted to sell approximately four pounds (1.8 kilograms) of methamphetamine to an undercover officer in Napa.  Court documents indicate that Bautista attempted to sell the methamphetamine for $5,300 per pound, for a total of $21,200, and wanted to establish a methamphetamine pipeline in Napa County.  In addition, Judge Henderson found that Bautista maintained a storage unit in Lodi that contained approximately twenty-five pounds (11.3 kilograms) of methamphetamine and a large amount of liquid used to manufacture more of the drug.  Further, Judge Henderson found that Bautista possessed three firearms in connection with his offense.

On January 5, 2016, a federal grand jury indicted Bautista and charged him with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1).  Bautista pleaded guilty to the charge without a written agreement.  

Judge Henderson ordered Bautista remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal Service today and Bautista will begin serving his sentence immediately. In addition to the prison term, Judge Henderson ordered Bautista to serve a five-year period of supervised release.  

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Lloyd-Lovett and Helen Gilbert are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the ATF and the Napa County Special Investigations Bureau.