Naser Yousef Gheith, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Louisiana 2016

A San Francisco man has pleaded guilty to his role in a massive international methamphetamine conspiracy that spanned from California to Louisiana and Germany.

Naser Yousef Gheith, 37, also known as ‘Nick,’ entered the guilty plea yesterday to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Gheith was a member of a methamphetamine distribution ring that extended from California to Louisiana and Germany.

The seizures in this case included approximately two pounds of methamphetamine recovered in Texas from a vehicle that was en route from San Francisco to New Orleans, as well as shipments of methamphetamine that were intercepted in Cologne, Germany, by the German Customs Investigation Bureau (the Zollkriminalamt or ZKA).

Gheith is the second of three defendants to have pled guilty in this case. Previously, Christopher Byron Fritchie pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Sentencing for Fritchie is set for April 20, 2016. A third defendant, Ryan Ernst Nyberg, is still at large and is believed to be residing in Germany.

Gheith faces a mandatory minimum term of twenty years in prison and maximum of life imprisonment, followed by a minimum of ten years supervised release, and a maximum fine of $20,000,000. There is also a mandatory $100.00 special assessment associated with this guilty plea. U.S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval, Jr. set sentencing for April 20, 2016.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA New Orleans Division Office investigated this case with assistance from the DEA Frankfurt, Germany Country Office and the DEA San Francisco Division Office. Assistance was also provided by the German Customs Investigation Bureau (the Zollkriminalamt or ZKA) and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew Payne and Maria Carboni are in charge of the prosecution.

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