⏱ 2 min read
A brutal California cartel’s pipeline to the Capital Region of New York has been severed after three San Diego-based drug traffickers pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute over 3 kilograms of pure crystal methamphetamine between March 2019 and July 2020.
Operation Crystal Express, a Homeland Security Task Force investigation, began in 2019 after law enforcement discovered a massive trafficking operation. Through Title III wiretaps and undercover operations, they dismantled the operation in a matter of months.
Cyril Kobey, 57, and Israel Montano, 46, both of San Diego, California, and Daniel Beckerman, 59, of Ballston Spa, New York, will face severe penalties. Kobey and Beckerman face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, along with a fine of up to $10,000,000.
Montano, who pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 5 or more grams of methamphetamine, will be sentenced to at least 72 months and up to 87 months in prison if the sentence is accepted by United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on August 27, 2026.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: New York
- Location: NY
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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