“When multiple agencies work to investigate criminal activity, they combine their resources, intelligence and expertise to take down drug trafficking groups that disrupt our neighborhoods and communities and threaten our public safety.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SACRAMENTO— On January 26, 2023, Jerome Adams, 56, of North Highlands, pleaded guilty to two counts of using a cellphone to facilitate a drug trafficking offense.

According to court documents, Adams is one of the 15 federal defendants arrested in 2021 and charged in a 45-count indictment for trafficking narcotics as part of a DEA-led multi-agency operation targeting cocaine and heroin traffickers in North Sacramento. Adams was intercepted during a 30-day wiretap trafficking crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and heroin.

This case is the product of an investigation by the:

• Drug Enforcement Administration;
• Federal Bureau of Investigation;
• Homeland Security Investigations;
• S. Marshals Service;
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;
• S. Forest Service;
• S. Postal Inspection Service;
• Bureau of Land Management;
• California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;
• California Department of Justice;
• California Highway Patrol;
• Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office;
• Sacramento Police Department.

Adams is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2023 and faces a maximum statutory penalty of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Recent Sentencings in this case:

On Dec. 8, 2022, Michael Hampton, 57, of Vallejo, was sentenced to five years in prison for to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine.

On Nov. 17, 2022, Charles Carter, 36, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine.

On Sept. 29, 2022, Jason Tolbert, 45, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine

On Dec. 1, 2022, Bobby Conner, 51, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty to two counts of using a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. Conner is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2023.

On Nov. 17, 2022, Arlington Caine, 48, of Rio Linda, and Andre Hellams, 40, of North Highlands, each pleaded guilty to two counts of using a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. Hellams is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 9, 2023. Caine is scheduled to be sentenced on March 16, 2023.

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;
• Dwight Haney, 49, of Sacramento;
• and Mark Martin, 62, of Sacramento.

The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.