FRESNO, Calif. — In a major blow to the methamphetamine trade, 52-year-old Louie Molina of Hanford has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of the highly addictive substance.
On May 3, 2019, Molina delivered approximately half a pound of methamphetamine to a codefendant, who was a target of the investigation. However, when law enforcement officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Molina sped off and led them on a high-speed chase, tossing out an additional pound of methamphetamine during the pursuit.
According to court documents, Molina was supplying methamphetamine to the codefendant as part of the Nuestra Familia prison gang and the Norteño street gang in Kings County. This case was the result of an investigation by the Kings County Gang Task Force, Agents of the Special Operations Unit, the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the FBI, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation, part of Operation Red Reaper, was a joint effort by various agencies aimed at dismantling the Nuestra Familia prison gang and the Norteño street gang in Kings County. The operation was a success, resulting in the arrest and conviction of multiple individuals involved in the methamphetamine trade.
Assistant United States Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case, which was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The OCDETF program identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
The case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence by bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy in 2021, strengthening PSN based on core principles such as fostering trust and legitimacy in communities, supporting community-based organizations, and setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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