OAKLAND - A federal grand jury indicted six individuals, all of whom are Oakland residents, for distributing drugs in the area of 85th Avenue and International Boulevard in East Oakland, announced United States Attorney Alex G. Tse; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Jill A. Snyder; and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen.  The indictments were unsealed today.

The six defendants all were charged in separate indictments as part of a larger crackdown against drug distributers in the area.  The indictments charge conduct occurring between February 2017 and April 2018, and each defendant is charged with distribution of cocaine, cocaine base, or both.  In addition, two defendants, Timothy Crawford and Ridell Lambert, are charged with being felons in possession of a firearm.  The precise charges against each defendant, as well as their ages, are set out in the chart below:

 



Defendant





Age





Charges





Statute





Timothy Crawford





55





Distribution of 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(iii)

 





Distribution of Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)





Felon in Possession of a Firearm





18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1)





Alan Johnson





40





Distribution of 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(iii)





Distribution of Cocaine and/or Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)





Ridell Lambert





30





Distribution of 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(iii)





Distribution of Cocaine and/or Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)





Felon in Possession of a Firearm





18 U.S.C. §922(g)(1)





Wilmon Ingram





40





Distribution of Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)





Karlos Ely





52





Distribution of 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(iii)





Keith Woodson





34





Distribution of Cocaine and/or Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)



 

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  The maximum statutory penalties for the crimes of which the defendants have been accused are as follows:

 



Distribution of 28 Grams or More of Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(B)(iii)





Minimum 5 years prison

Maximum 40 years

Minimum 4 years supervised release following incarceration

Maximum lifetime supervised release

Maximum $5,000,000 fine





Distribution of Cocaine and/or Cocaine Base





21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(C)





Maximum 20 years imprisonment

Maximum lifetime supervised release following incarceration

Minimum 3 years supervised release

Maximum $1,000,000 fine





Felon in Possession of a Firearm





18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)





Maximum 10 years in prison

Maximum 3 years supervised release

Maximum $250,000 fine



 

Additional fines, forfeitures, denial of federal benefits, and restitution may be ordered; however, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553. 

The defendants, except Crawford, were arrested yesterday as part of a criminal enforcement operation and made their initial appearances this morning in federal court before Kandis A. Westmore, U.S. Magistrate Judge. Magistrate Judge Westmore scheduled appearances for defendants Johnson and Ingram on April 23, 2018, and Lambert and Woodson on April 24, 2018, to consider their detention status.  Judge Westmore scheduled an appearance for Ely on April 23, 2018, to identify his counsel. No federal appearance has been scheduled yet for Crawford.      

In addition to these federal defendants, Arthur Long, 33, and Deshawn Murphy, 26, both from Oakland, are being prosecuted by the Alameda District Attorney’s Office for alleged violations of California Health and Safety Code § 11352.  Questions about the state charges may be directed to the District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Helen Gilbert and Shailika Kotiya are prosecuting the case.  The prosecutions are the result of an investigation by the ATF and the DEA with assistance from the Oakland Police Department.  The investigation is part of this district’s Organized Drug Enforcement Task Force program.