Fresno County Drug Traffickers Plead Guilty
To forfeit six properties, nine vehicles, 14 firearms, and $7,562 in cash
FRESNO, Calif. - Brothers Edwan Dablan, 37, of Kingsburg, and Khamal Dablan, 25, of Selma, pleaded guilty on Monday to participating in a long-term methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Special Agent in Charge Bruce C. Balzano and United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Edwan Dablan also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of money laundering.
According to court documents, Edwan Dablan and Khamal Dablan were suppliers of methamphetamine. As part of the plea agreement, the following assets were obtained from or used to facilitate the drug conspiracy and are subject to forfeiture:
- Six properties in Kingsburg, Fresno, and Alexandria, La.
- 1962 Chevrolet Impala
- Two 1965 Ford Mustangs
- 2006 Lexus
- 2007 Chevrolet Silverado
- 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
- 2007 Pontiac G6GT
- 2008 Pontiac G6GXP
- 1976 Harley Davidson Motorcycle
- 14 firearms
- $7,562 in cash.
The brothers are scheduled to be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii on April 8, 2013. They face 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. Edwan Dablan faces an additional 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for money laundering. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory sentencing factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is the product of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) wiretap investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and Fresno Methamphetamine Task Force, a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiative, which consists of the DEA, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Fresno Police Department, California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and California Highway Patrol. The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General's drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen A. Escobar and Heather Mardel Jones are prosecuting the case.
