Vin Whealen Gaines Jr., Firearms Trafficking & Methamphetamine Distribution, California 2020

Stockton Man Sentenced to Over Six Years in Prison for Firearms Trafficking and Methamphetamine Distribution

Stockton, California – Vin Whealen Gaines Jr., 33, of Stockton, was sentenced to six years and five months in prison for conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and distribution of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

According to court documents, between October 10, 2019, and October 22, 2020, Gaines and his co-conspirators sold at least 13 firearms to a confidential source or an undercover agent on behalf of the Everybody Killa (EBK) street gang in Stockton. Many of the firearms were obtained out of state in Reno, Nevada, and some were obtained by a straw purchaser from federally licensed firearms dealers in Reno. Gaines also sold about an ounce of methamphetamine to a confidential source on February 20, 2020.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.

Co-defendant Johnnie Earl Ross III, 21, of Stockton, was previously sentenced to six and a half years in prison for conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and possession of an unregistered machinegun.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the U.S. government’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

The effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF

Defendant/respondent: Vin Whealen Gaines Jr.

Exact criminal charges: Conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and distribution of methamphetamine

City and state: Stockton, California

Exact date: October 10, 2019 – October 22, 2020

Sentence or outcome: Six years and five months in prison

Mandatory facts included

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