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Sacramento Fentanyl Dealer Gets 4+ Years
SACRAMENTO – Brayan Missael Nunez-Mendoza, 24, of Sacramento, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to four years and three months for peddling poison on the streets. U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb handed down the sentence today, following a case built by federal investigators targeting a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization.
Nunez-Mendoza wasn’t dealing in marijuana. He was moving fentanyl – and its even more potent cousin, para-fluorofentanyl. Court documents reveal that on September 29, 2022, Nunez-Mendoza unloaded approximately 1,000 pills containing these deadly substances onto a confidential source, all for a cool $2,500. The pills weren’t some back-alley concoction either; they were counterfeit oxycodone “M-30” pills, designed to deceive and addict.
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant didn’t mince words, signaling a clear message that Sacramento won’t be a safe haven for drug pushers. The investigation wasn’t a solo effort. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led the charge, with crucial support from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the California Highway Patrol, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, and even the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office. It’s a multi-agency takedown, showing the scale of the threat.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Spencer and Haddy Abouzeid were the prosecutors who secured the conviction, navigating the complex legal landscape of fentanyl trafficking. The sentence reflects the severity of the crime, but it’s just one battle in a much larger war. Fentanyl is claiming lives at an alarming rate, and this case highlights the need for continued, aggressive law enforcement.
This case isn’t isolated. It falls under the umbrella of “Operation Take Back America,” a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice. The operation’s stated goals are ambitious: to cripple illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and safeguard communities from violent crime. It’s a broad sweep, leveraging resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
While four years is a significant sentence for Nunez-Mendoza, the source of the pills – the Mexico-based organization – remains a key target. Expect more investigations and arrests as federal agencies continue to dismantle these networks, attempting to stem the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the United States. The fight is far from over, and the Grimy Times will be there to report every dirty detail.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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