Christopher Eugene Hooper, Methamphetamine Possession, Utah 2018

Methamphetamine Ring Busted in Utah, Defendant Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

By: [Your Name], Crime Reporter, Grimy Times

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - Christopher Eugene Hooper, also known as 'Messy,' will spend 130 months in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking operation. Hooper, 30, of Kearns, Utah, was sentenced on Thursday in federal court by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Kimball.

As part of a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors in February, Hooper admitted to possessing a Sig .380 handgun with a loaded magazine and approximately 38 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it to another person.

The investigation into Hooper's activities began on February 21, 2018, when two members of the Operation Rio Grande Drug Task Force executed a traffic stop in the area of North Temple and Redwood Road. A three-count federal indictment returned in March 2018 charged Hooper with possession of a firearm and ammunition after a felony conviction, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

Prosecutors dismissed the second firearm count, carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, at sentencing.

'This is a significant sentence for someone with a long record of felony convictions, including other drug charges, an attempted assault, theft, and assault on a police officer,' U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said. 'Convicted felon drug traffickers carrying loaded firearms is a recipe for disaster. Getting these criminals out of our neighborhoods and into federal prison makes our neighborhoods safer for all of us.'

The Utah Department of Public Safety is working to reduce violent crime, including situations involving the use of a firearm. These instances pose a threat to public safety, said Captain Jared Garcia of the Utah Department of Public Safety's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

Garcia added that members of the Utah Crime Gun Intelligence Center are actively working several cases. 'This team approach identifies and stops violent offenders and prevents victimization,' Garcia said.

Hooper's plea agreement includes the stipulated sentence of 130 months in federal prison. His involvement in the methamphetamine trafficking operation was just one part of a larger investigation into the Operation Rio Grande Drug Task Force. In another SBI case resulting from Operation Rio Grande, sentencing is set for July 31, 2019, for Tohi Ryan Ngata, aka Leaaetohi Ryan Ngata, aka Toni Ngata-Latu, aka Cuzloc, age 35, of Salt Lake City, who pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition following a felony conviction and possession of heroin with intent to distribute in April.

Ngata fled from officers attempting to stop him for a moving violation on a bicycle in January 2018. Officers observed that Ngata was reaching toward his waistband. Ngata was detained a short time later. During a subsequent search, officers found a loaded handgun in his waistband and heroin. Ngata's plea agreement includes a stipulated sentence of 60 months in federal prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ut/pr/operation-rio-grande-drug-task-force-case-leads-130-month-sentence-drug-dealer