A South San Francisco man is headed for a federal pen after being caught red-handed selling methamphetamine in a tightly-watched ATF sting. Jose Alejandro Vasquez Robledo, 32, was convicted on February 12, 2018, by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and actual distribution of the drug, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse and ATF Special Agent in Charge Jill Snyder.
The jury’s guilty verdict came after just three days of trial before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria. Evidence was damning: video and audio recordings captured the exact moment Robledo and a co-defendant sold two ounces of meth in South San Francisco on November 16 and 17, 2015. The recordings included both the transaction itself and the phone calls that set it up — all pulled together by ATF surveillance.
Robledo wasn’t indicted until July 18, 2017, when a federal grand jury charged him and his accomplice with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distribution. The charges fall under 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(viii), which carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years per count, along with a $5,000,000 fine for each charge.
The arrest wasn’t a fluke — it was part of a broader ATF operation targeting drug activity in South San Francisco. Investigators zeroed in on the area after a spike in narcotics-related violence and distribution. The undercover operation used wiretaps, informants, and surveillance to build a case that landed squarely on Robledo’s doorstep.
Judge Chhabria ordered Robledo remanded into federal custody immediately following the verdict. His sentencing is set for May 15, 2018. While the statutory penalties are severe, the final sentence will be determined under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and 18 U.S.C. § 3553, which allows for judicial discretion based on circumstances.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Garcia and Randall Leonard, with support from Alycee Lane and Tong Zhang. The entire investigation was led and executed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — another hit against the underground drug trade fueling addiction and crime in the Bay Area.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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