12 Years Behind Bars For Area Man Who Sold Meth, Coke, Guns, Ammo

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA – A 25-year-old Concord man has been sentenced in federal court in Oakland to 12 years in prison for dealing methamphetamine and illegally possessing guns and ammunition.

Francisco Gonzalez was given the prison term on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White.

He pleaded guilty before White on June 1 to one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute it and one count of being an ex-felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.

U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch said Gonzalez admitted in his plea agreement that in July and August 2015, he sold 973 grams of methamphetamine, 15 grams of powder cocaine, nine guns and 208 rounds of ammunition to an undercover agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The sales were made in eight transactions in Concord and Pittsburg, Stretch said.

Prosecutors said in a sentencing brief that Gonzalez was a known Norteno gang member who allegedly told the undercover agent he was selling drugs on behalf of the Sinaloa Mexican drug cartel.

The 12-year sentence was midway between the 10-year term requested by Gonzalez's defense attorneys and the 15-year, eight-month penalty recommended by prosecutors.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Hanni Fakhoury wrote in a sentencing brief that Gonzalez accepts responsibility for his crimes.

Fakhoury asked for the lower sentence on the ground that Gonzalez was physically abused by a violent father as a child and "never had a chance" to get on a good path in life.

• Also see: Wig Not Enough Of Disguise For Suspect Sought By Concord PD

--Bay City News/File photo