Hung C. Nguyen, 40, of Moorpark, is going down for his role in a sprawling marijuana trafficking ring that stretched from industrial greenhouses in Northern California to storefront dispensaries in Southern California. Nguyen pleaded guilty today to manufacturing and distributing marijuana as part of a criminal conspiracy, according to U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert. The bust exposes the dark underbelly of California’s legal pot industry—where licensed fronts mask massive, illegal drug operations.
Court documents reveal Nguyen ran two Southern California dispensaries—the Canna Clinic of Garden Grove and the South Bay Canna Clinic in Torrance—while serving as a key distributor for marijuana grown in Sutter County and Sacramento. He partnered with Nathan Hoffman, a Los Angeles attorney with offices on Wilshire Boulevard, and others to funnel high-volume product across state lines. One of Nguyen’s shops moved more than $10,000 in weed on a single busy day, feeding an illicit market under the guise of medical sales.
This case stems from a sweeping federal crackdown on industrial-scale marijuana cultivation in the Eastern District of California. Twelve defendants were indicted across three related cases—United States v. Yan Ebyam et al., 2:11-cr-275-JAM and 2:11-cr-276-JAM. So far, all but Hoffman have pleaded guilty, with most already locked up. Hoffman is set for trial on January 23, 2017. The charges against him remain allegations; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The operation blew open on June 21, 2011, when federal and state agents raided seven locations across Sacramento, Sutter, and Tehama Counties. Two major grow sites—the Jopson Ranch in Rio Oso and Cal-Nevada Wholesale Florist in Sacramento—housed commercial greenhouses packed with over 5,000 marijuana plants. Agents seized approximately 2,168 plants at Jopson Ranch and 3,305 at Cal-Nevada. Grow site leaders Yan Ebyam and Aimee Sisco were arrested and admitted their roles.
Nguen’s sentencing is scheduled for April 18, 2017, before U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. While the statutory maximum looms, the actual sentence will hinge on federal sentencing guidelines and judicial discretion, weighing factors like criminal history, cooperation, and the scale of the operation.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Sutter County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement. It was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a federal initiative launched in 1982 to dismantle major drug and money laundering networks. Prosecution is handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt, Todd A. Pickles, and Samuel Wong—enforcers in the long war against California’s shadow pot economy.
Related Federal Cases
- LA Lawyer Nathan Hoffman Pleads Guilty to Pot Empire Scheme · Nevada
- Vegas Dealer Gets 11 Years for Meth & Ghost Gun Empire · Nevada
- Reno Doctor Eric Math Indicted in Oxycodone Trafficking Ring · Nevada
- Three CA Men Plead Guilty to Reno Meth Trafficking · Nevada
- Vegas Meth Kingpin Gets 11 Years, Ghost Guns Included · Nevada
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking