A man from Yuba City, Gabriel Quintero, was handed a 10-year prison sentence on charges of methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute, and for unlawful firearm possession, as per an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. The announcement came after proceedings led by Chief U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Quintero, 32, was embroiled in an August high-speed chase through Sacramento, culminating in a crash and his eventual arrest.
Law enforcement in Sacramento, during a pursuit that lasted about 10 minutes, found Quintero with more than $30,000 in cash, a cache of loaded firearms – one modified with a machine gun conversion device, 646 grams of methamphetamine, nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills, 109 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, and six cellphones. The Department of Justice statement specified he intended to distribute these drugs. With his status as a convicted felon, Quintero's possession of the firearms and ammunition was illegal.
The arrest and subsequent conviction stem from a coordinated effort by various law enforcement divisions, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily G. Sauvageau took the lead on the prosecution side of the case.
This case is also a part of the broader Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative (PSN), aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in communities. This was part of strengthened efforts since May 26, 2021, when the Justice Department put forward a strategy to bolster PSN, focused on several cornerstones: building trust in communities, supporting organizations that work on violence prevention, setting strategic law enforcement priorities, and measuring the outcomes of these actions, according to the Department of Justice statement.
