Meadow Vista, California resident Matthew Luke Gillum has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his involvement in a large-scale marijuana trafficking operation.
Gillum, 32, was convicted of conspiring to distribute marijuana and avoiding a currency transaction reporting requirement, announced United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.
According to court documents, Gillum was the leader of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that operated in the greater Sacramento area. The Gillum DTO shipped marijuana through the United States mail to various locations outside of California.
Gillum’s operation solicited marijuana orders via the Silk Road website and used at least five individuals to open post office boxes, collect drug trafficking proceeds, ship marijuana parcels, manufacture and supply marijuana, and facilitate the clandestine communications of the DTO.
The Gillum DTO distributed at least 600 pounds of marijuana between August 2012 and July 2013, much of it through Express Mail parcels sent from the Sacramento region to 16 different states. During the investigation, the United States seized over $700,000 from a bitcoin account controlled by Gillum.
Gillum’s lavish spending caught the attention of authorities when he purchased a diamond ring from Tiffany and Co. for $105,900 in cash. However, he used a nominee to fill out the paperwork as if the nominee purchased the ring, attempting to avoid filing an IRS Form 8300.
This case was the product of an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the Central Valley HIDTA Task Force, CAL-MET, Placer County Special Investigations Unit, and Rocklin Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Justin Lee and Kevin Khasigan prosecuted the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Chad Straub, Conspiring to Distribute Marijuana, California 2014 · Iowa
- David Wayne Holleman, Possessing with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, California 2012 · Iowa
- Emmanuel Castrejon Cardenas, Conspiracy to Cultivate 50 or More Marijuana Plants, California 2016 · Alaska
- Francis Frost, Conspiring to Import and Distribute Controlled Substances, California 2015 · Florida
- Omar Quintero, Marijuana Smuggling, California 2023 · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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