3 found guilty of Bay Area drug trafficking in federal court; 1 defendant flees and now at large
SAN FRANCISCO – A federal jury on Wednesday convicted two men from the East Bay and one man from Humboldt County of multiple drug trafficking offenses following an eight-day trial, federal prosecutors said.
According to Northern California District Attorney Ismail Ramsey's office, a jury convicted 38-year-old Luis Torres Garcia of Rio Dell, 31-year-old Evan Martinez Diaz of Bay Point and 44-year-old Timothy Peoples of Antioch following two hours of deliberations. The trio were convicted as a result of a federal wiretap investigation into two East Bay drug suppliers in 2018 and 2019.
Torres Garcia, also known as "Guero," was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Prosecutors said Torres Garcia attended trial but fled after closing arguments and is considered a fugitive.
According to evidence at trial, Torres Garcia was a Humboldt County drug trafficker who received methamphetamine shipments from a supplier in Fairfield. On Aug. 8, 2018, the supplier attempted to send 18 pounds of meth to Torres Garcia, but the shipment was intercepted by authorities in Healdsburg.
In February 2019, the DEA tracked Torres Garcia to a meeting in Windsor and delivered about $13,800 in cash to a courier for his drug supplier.
Martinez Diaz was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to testimony, Martinez Diaz was transporting about 20 pounds of meth and one kilogram of cocaine through an Antioch neighborhood on Feb. 9, 2019 when he realized he was being tracked by authorities. He then began to drive erratically and directed a coconspirator to discard the drugs in nearby bushes.
Prosecutors said that officers soon located the meth, which had an estimated street value of more than $177,000, along with cocaine with an estimated street value of $40,000. While Martinez Diaz was stopped by police and released with a traffic citation, a call was intercepted where he told his supplier that he saw law enforcement and discarded the drugs to avoid arrest.
Peoples was found guilty of two counts to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. According to prosecutors, People's was a "regular" customer of an Antioch-based cocaine wholesaler and bought 10.5 pounds of the substance for more than $120,000 over a 90-day period.
According to evidence at trial, Peoples sold the cocaine and used the proceeds to buy expensive cars.
Prosecutors said Torres Garcia faces up to life in prison and a minimum sentence of 10 years. Martinez Diaz and Peoples each face a maximum sentence of 20 years for every count they were convicted of.
The trio are scheduled to be sentenced on June 11.
