Federal judge sentences MS-13 gang member to prison on drug charges
An MS-13 gang member — arrested two years ago as part of a multi-agency gang crackdown — was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to three years in prison on drug charges.
Oscar Reyes, 31, of Mendota, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances on behalf of the MS-13 gang, a criminal organization that has become the target of federal, state and county law enforcement agencies.
In August 2018, a multi-agency operation arrested 25 people associated with the gang in and around Mendota, a west Fresno County community that had become an outpost for the Los Angeles-based gang. Investigators found evidence of a wide range of criminal activity, including murder, assault, firearms possession and drug trafficking.
Of those who were charged in this case, four have previously been sentenced; four others have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
The remaining eight co-defendants are scheduled for trial on Feb. 2, 2021, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney. Those defendants face charges including drug conspiracy and assault with a dangerous weapon.
The investigation was conducted by the California Department of Justice and California Highway Patrol Special Operations Unit, the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Special Services Unit (SSU).
