Modesto Hells Angels Vice President Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking Charges
MODESTO (CBS13) — The vice president of the Modesto Hells Angels Motorcycle Club pleaded guilty this week to drug trafficking charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Michael Shafer, 33, of Modesto, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and marijuana, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.
The DOJ said Shafer was the vice president for the club in 2019 and investigators were able to obtain a court-authorized wiretap for his phone after a years-long investigation into Hells Angels. Several calls and messages were evidence Shafer was conspiring to distribute the drugs.
In April 2019, Shafer conspired with a Pleasant Valley State Prison inmate—who was also a former Hells Angels member—to smuggle heroin into the prison, the DOJ said.
Shafer is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 22 and faces up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.