El Cerrito Man Part of Massive Drug and Weapons Ring Busted By Law Enforcement: US Attorney

Sixteen people have been charged in federal court in Oakland with operating a wide-ranging drug ring that dealt in methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana in San Francisco, the East Bay and the Central Valley.

A criminal complaint and 62-page law enforcement affidavit were filed by federal prosecutors last week, unsealed after group members were arrested on Wednesday, and announced by U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch of San Francisco on Thursday.

The group was allegedly led by Oscar Vladimir Escalante of Discovery Bay, whose nicknames were "Cuddy" and "Hoggy." Escalante has been wheelchair-bound since he was shot last year in the Mission District of San Francisco, where he allegedly maintained a storefront that he used in laundering drug proceeds, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit was written by Jarred Pereira, a San Ramon police detective who has been deputized as a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer.

Pereira alleged in the document that Escalante oversaw drug sales, maintained connections with suppliers, managed the ring's finances and arranged the purchase of guns modified to become fully automatic. Escalante also allegedly supervised the operation of marijuana grow houses in San Francisco, Oakland, Antioch, Discovery Bay, Tracy, and Delano, according to the document.

The guns obtained by Escalante were allegedly made into automatic weapons by defendant Adam Mustafa Abdelwahhab of San Francisco, who also allegedly provided advice on how to operate a marijuana grow, Pereira said.

All but one of the 16 men and women are in custody, said U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons. Most are scheduled to have detention hearings before U.S. Magistrate Kandis Westmore in Oakland next week to determine whether they must remain in custody while awaiting trial.

Escalante's hearing is on Wednesday.

Joel Salcedo of Stockton, who is accused of supplying heroin and methamphetamine, will appear before U.S. Magistrate Donna Ryu in San Jose on Sept. 6.

Two Central Valley defendants were scheduled for detention hearings before U.S. Magistrate Stanley Boone in Sacramento.

David Vigil of Shafter, who allegedly supplied methamphetamine for the ring to sell and managed a grow house in Delano, was due before Boone Friday afternoon.

James Hinkle, who allegedly lived and worked in the Delano grow house, will have a detention hearing on Monday. When the two men made an initial appearance before Boone after their arrests on Wednesday, the
magistrate ordered both to be fully shackled at their upcoming hearings, according to the court's docket.

Other defendants include Escalante's wife, Melina Escalante of Discovery Bay, and alleged girlfriend, Claudia Munoz of Daly City. Both are accused of aiding in the money laundering of drug proceeds. Munoz allegedly
additionally managed utilities and rental agreements for the grow houses.

Melina Escalante's brother, Alfredo Ortiz of Tracy, allegedly helped to operate marijuana grow houses in Oakland, Antioch, Discovery Bay and Tracy.

Ortiz is a Norteno gang member who previously served a state prison sentence for a gun assault and was with Escalante when he was shot in San Francisco last year, Pereira said in the affidavit.

Other defendants include Jorge Gomez of El Cerrito, Christian Vanleer of Oakland, Michael Vicochea of Tracy, Ignacio Gonzalez of Stockton, Daniel Medina-Garay of San Leandro, Louis Ramirez of San Francisco and Sean Chin of Bay Point.

Julian Reayoung, formerly of Antioch, is not in custody, Simmons said. He allegedly sold heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana for Escalante in other states, including Mississippi and Arkansas, Pereira said.

All 16 defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, the prescription drug alprazolam and marijuana. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 40 years in
prison if they are convicted.

All 16 are also charged with illegal use of a communications facility.

Oscar Escalante, Abdelwahhab, Vicochea and Salcedo are accused illegal possession of a machine gun. Oscar and Melina Escalante, Munoz, Reayoung and Vicochea also each face a count of money laundering.

Stretch said the prosecution is the result of an investigation by the DEA, the San Ramon Police Department, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the
Marin County Sheriff's Office and the Oakland Police Department.

— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock