SAN FRANCISCO – A cross-country drug trafficking scheme ended in guilty pleas for three men involved in a brutal series of home invasion robberies in California’s North Bay area. Jaray Simmons, 29, of Winston-Salem, N.C.; Nakia Jones, 23, of Richmond, Va.; and Siddiq Abdullah, 22, of Richmond, Va., all admitted their roles in a plot to steal marijuana and profit from its resale back east, according to court documents unsealed today.
The trio were part of an eight-person crew that targeted homes in Northern California believed to be stashes of high-value marijuana and cash. The operation, laid out in their guilty pleas accepted by U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen, involved meticulously planning the robberies and coordinating travel across state lines. Simmons and three other codefendants drove from North Carolina to Sacramento in March 2018, stocking up on weapons and packaging supplies – jackets, duffel bags, vacuum sealers – to prepare for the stolen goods. Simultaneously, Jones, Abdullah, and two others flew from Richmond, Virginia, to San Francisco.
The crew converged in Novato, California on March 12, 2019, before launching their attack on a Petaluma residential street. The first home they hit became a scene of terror. According to plea agreements, a codefendant kicked in the front door, and six of the crew stormed inside, immediately forcing a man and woman into a bathroom. The victims were bound with duct tape, and threats of violence were leveled. One defendant allegedly threatened to kill the couple if they didn’t reveal the location of the marijuana and cash, while another brandished a firearm and struck the man in an attempt to force a confession. The robbers quickly discovered they’d targeted the wrong house, as the victims insisted they had no drugs.
Undeterred, the crew moved on to a second house, escalating their brutality. They broke in through both the front and side doors, terrorizing a female occupant. She was dragged by the hair and locked in a closet after stating she had no marijuana, only money in a drawer. Outside, two codefendants encountered a neighbor, whom they forcibly brought inside, tied up with an electrical extension cord, and repeatedly assaulted while demanding information about the drugs. The neighbor, like the previous victims, repeatedly told them they were at the wrong address.
The arrival of police sirens sent the crew scrambling. They abandoned the houses and attempted to flee in two vehicles, leading to a chase. Law enforcement apprehended all eight defendants, some abandoning their cars, others at San Francisco International Airport, and one several days later. A federal grand jury indicted Simmons, Jones, Abdullah, and the other five co-defendants on April 26, 2018, charging them with conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce. The exact sentences for Simmons, Jones, and Abdullah have not yet been announced, but they face significant prison time for their roles in this violent and calculated scheme.
United States Attorney David L. Anderson and FBI Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett announced the guilty pleas, highlighting the FBI’s commitment to dismantling organized crime networks that prey on communities and facilitate illegal drug trafficking. The investigation remains ongoing, with the possibility of further charges or convictions for the remaining codefendants. This case serves as a grim reminder of the lengths to which criminals will go for profit and the devastating impact of drug-related violence on innocent victims.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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