South Bay Drug Trafficker Sentenced To 45 Months In Prison

SAN JOSE – Sophann Pin was sentenced today to 45 months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen.  The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Edward J. Davila, U.S. District Judge.

Pin, 36, of San Jose, pleaded guilty to the charges on May 10, 2018.  According to his plea agreement, Pin admitted he possessed methamphetamine with the intent to sell it to other people.  The plea agreement describes three transactions in which Pin distributed drugs.  Pin admitted that on September 30, 2016, he agreed to meet two drug buyers in a parking lot on East Hamilton Avenue in Campbell, Calif.  After arriving at the parking lot with approximately 543 grams of a substance containing methamphetamine, Pin exchanged the drugs for $3,500.  Further, on November 15, 2017, Pin possessed one kilogram of methamphetamine he obtained from co-defendant Oscar Andrade, 32, from San Jose.  Pin also acknowledged that on January 19, 2017, he obtained two kilograms of methamphetamine from co-defendant Christian Urena, 32, from San Jose, and that he intended to sell the methamphetamine to another person.

On February 2, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Pin, charging him with two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § § 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(C), and three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).  Pin pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  The remaining counts were dismissed.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Davila also sentenced Pin to serve 3 years of supervised release that will begin at after his prison term has been served.

Andrade and Urena also pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the scheme.  On January 14, 2019, Judge Davila sentenced Andrade to 160 months in prison and five years of supervised release for his role.  On March 4, 2019, Judge Davila sentenced Urena to 50 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Simeon is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Tong Zhang.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA.