Marco Antonio Ochoa, Methamphetamine Trafficking, California 2017

Local Man Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

OAKLAND – In a shocking turn of events, Marco Antonio Ochoa, 38, was sentenced to 132 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to the plea agreement, Ochoa acknowledged that he conspired to possess with the intent to distribute no less than 6,334 net grams of methamphetamine. He admitted that on May 23, 2013, he received instructions from his co-conspirators to travel to Los Angeles so that he could retrieve methamphetamine and payment for his distribution services.

Ochoa made the trip on May 24, 2013, and received from a co-conspirator 20 pounds (or at least 9 kgs) of methamphetamine and the payment for his services. He drove back to Oakland and on the next day, he received further instructions to distribute the methamphetamine. Ochoa ultimately provided a co-conspirator with at least 6,334 net grams of the methamphetamine.

In addition to the methamphetamine, Ochoa also admitted possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 2 kilograms of heroin. He received instructions to travel to Fresno where he could retrieve heroin from a co-conspirator. On June 20, 2014, Ochoa traveled to Fresno and retrieved 2,774 net grams of heroin. While driving back to Oakland, he was stopped by a California Highway Patrol officer; the officer searched Ochoa’s car and recovered multiple Ziploc bags that contained the heroin.

Ochoa has been in custody since his arrest in June of 2014 and will begin serving his sentence immediately. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Edward J. Davila, U.S. District Judge. In addition to the prison term, Judge Davila sentenced Ochoa to a 5-year period of supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Backhus, Ryka Barghi, and Ana Guerra prosecuted the case with the assistance of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the task force, a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States.

Mandatory Facts:

• Defendant: Marco Antonio Ochoa
• Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(a)(1)
• City and State: Oakland, California
• Date: January 30, 2017 (sentencing)
• Sentence: 132 months in prison, 5-year period of supervised release

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