Two defendants charged in connection with methamphetamine conversion laboratory uncovered in San Jose
The defendants were charged with operating the lab and distributing the drug
SAN FRANCISCO – A complaint was unsealed today in San Jose alleging that Mario Orozco and Teodoro Ayon-Ramos distributed methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux. Both defendants were arrested at their residences, one in San Jose and the other in Los Banos, on August 11, 2020.
According to the complaint, the defendants sold approximately four ounces of methamphetamine to a cooperating source working with law enforcement. The transaction occurred in San Jose. The day before, Orozco agreed to sell the cooperating source approximately four ounces of methamphetamine for $3,500. In addition, Ayon-Ramos met a cooperating source in San Jose on June 18, 2020, and delivered the methamphetamine. The complaint alleges that Mario Orozco and Teodoro Ayon-Ramos violated statutes prohibiting drug distribution at 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B)(viii).
The defendants made their initial appearances in federal court in San Francisco on August 12, 2020. They are currently being held in custody pending further proceedings. Orozco’s next appearance is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., on August 14, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore. Ayon-Ramos’ next appearance is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., August 17, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson. Both court appearances are scheduled to address issues regarding detention.
In documents filed in connection with the detention hearings, the government argued that defendants were engaged in a scheme to smuggle methamphetamine dissolved in buckets of paint to avoid discovery and to extract the methamphetamine at a warehouse and convert the drugs into its crystal form. According to the government, the defendants used a warehouse-type structure located on Stockton Avenue, San Jose, Calif., to process the drugs.
A complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted of the offense charged in the complaint, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of 40 years and a minimum sentence of five years, and a fine of $5,000,000, for each violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B)(viii). However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by member agencies of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a focused multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force investigating and prosecuting the most significant drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States by leveraging the combined expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
