On November 21st, 2022

One Person Sentenced, Two More Plead Guilty in Sacramento-Area Drug Trafficking Conspiracies California DOJ assisted with investigation  

"We all pay a high public safety price when drug dealers of this magnitude operate in our neighborhoods and communities. We are appreciative of the investigative work that is done to put a stop to this illegal activity so that we can all enjoy a better sense of safety." - CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SACRAMENTO- On November 17, 2022, one defendant was sentenced and two others pleaded guilty for their participation in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin in the Sacramento area.

On June 3, 2021, a federal grand jury returned a 45-count indictment against 15 people for offenses related to a conspiracy to traffic cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin. Charles Carter, 36, of Sacramento, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison for a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine. Arlington Caine, 48, of Rio Linda, and Andre Hellams, 40, of North Highlands, each pleaded guilty to two counts of using a cellphone to facilitate a drug trafficking offense.

According to court documents, Carter, Hellams, and Caine are among the 15 federal defendants arrested in 2021 for trafficking narcotics as part of a DEA-led multi-agency operation targeting cocaine and heroin traffickers in North Sacramento. Specifically, Carter was intercepted during a 30-day wiretap, trafficking kilograms of cocaine, kilograms of heroin, and methamphetamine pills. Carter was also intercepted planning to rob another heroin dealer of 3 kilograms of heroin worth $75,000. Hellams was intercepted on the wiretap arranging to obtain and sell over 630 grams of cocaine. Caine was intercepted on the wiretap arranging to obtain and sell more than 40 grams of crack cocaine and over 110 grams of powder cocaine.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron L. Desmond and Aaron D. Pennekamp are prosecuting the case.

Caine and Hellams are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 9, 2023. They face a maximum statutory penalty of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

On Sept. 29, 2022, Jason Tolbert, 45, of Sacramento, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

On July 22, 2022, Michael Hampton, 57, of Vallejo, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine. Hampton is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8, 2022.

Charges are pending against the following defendants: Tyrone Anderson, 40, of Sacramento; Maurice Bryant, 51, of Antelope; Yovanny Ontiveros, 41, of Sacramento; Alex White, 61, of North Highlands; Steven Hampton, 61, of Sacramento; Wilmer Harden, 52, of Elk Grove; Bobby Conner, 50, of Sacramento; Jerome Adams, 54, of North Highlands; Dwight Haney, 49, of Sacramento; and Mark Martin, 62, of Sacramento.