Sacramento man sentenced to more than 11 years for role in interstate cocaine and heroin trafficking conspiracy

Sacramento man Tyrone Anderson was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison for his role in a massive cocaine and heroin trafficking conspiracy. Anderson’s conviction was the latest in a series of sentences involving the fifteen federal defendants arrested in 2021. Court documents revealed that Anderson was involved in trafficking significant amounts of narcotics in several states, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

As part of a DEA-led, multi-agency operation, Anderson was intercepted by wiretaps in 2018 and 2019 distributing kilos of cocaine and heroin to subdistributors along the East Coast and in California. During the wiretap, agents seized 4 kilos of cocaine, which Anderson sold to a sub-distributor in Baltimore for $118,000, according to the same sources. When officers arrived to arrange his arrest, they found two loaded firearms at his home and seized 567 grams of powder cocaine and 949 grams of heroin from his stash, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Other suspects in the same indictment received different sentences. Jason Tolbert and Charles Carter received prison sentences of 57 and 70 months, respectively, on cocaine-related charges. Meanwhile, Andre Hellams awaits sentencing on October 24 after pleading guilty to using a communications facility to facilitate a drug trafficking operation. Additionally, figures like Michael Hampton and Steven Hampton received 60 and 84 months, respectively, while Bobby Conner, Dwight Haney, Mark Martin and Alex White received relatively lighter sentences, ranging from time served to 22 months, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Maurice Bryant recently pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on October 17. Yovanny Ontiveros and Wilmer Harden are still awaiting trial. While the charges reflect serious allegations, it is fundamental to remember that all defendants are subject to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. This prosecution profile, elevated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, aims to crumble the structures of major drug traffickers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that distribute illicit substances throughout California and beyond.

Several agencies, including the DEA, FBI and Homeland Security, have worked together under the Strike Force Initiative. Their combined efforts represent a strategic approach to dismantling the drug trafficking organizations that pose a serious threat to the well-being and safety of our communities. The initiative includes multi-jurisdictional operations and is a testament to the ongoing war against narcotics and the widespread implications of such ventures on society.