Michael Shafer, Drug Trafficking, California 2023

Federal authorities have dealt a major blow to the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Modesto, California. Michael Shafer, the club’s former vice president, has been sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and marijuana.

According to court documents, Shafer, 34, was involved in a years-long investigation into the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Investigators obtained a court-authorized wiretap for Shafer’s phone, which revealed that he was conspiring to distribute marijuana and heroin. In one instance, Shafer attempted to smuggle heroin into Pleasant Valley State Prison in April 2019 by conspiring with a former Hells Angels member who was incarcerated at the time.

The investigation, which began in 2019, involved a multi-agency effort that included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Modesto Police Department, the Turlock Police Department, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the California Highway Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson and Laurel Montoya prosecuted the case, which is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States.

This case is also being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. The PSN Program is an evidence-based program that works to reduce violent crime by identifying the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and developing comprehensive solutions to address them.

In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the sentence sends a strong message to those involved in organized crime. ‘This sentence demonstrates the commitment of federal and local law enforcement to holding accountable those who engage in serious crimes, including those who attempt to smuggle contraband into our prisons,’ the statement said.

The Hells Angels have a long history of involvement in organized crime, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and violent crime. The sentencing of Michael Shafer brings one of the club’s top leaders to justice and serves as a reminder that those involved in organized crime will be held accountable for their actions.

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