Vallejo man among 15 indicted for drug trafficking
A grand jury accused Vallejo resident Michael Hampton of trafficking in illegal drugs.
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned a criminal indictment against a Vallejo resident for allegedly participating in a scheme with others to sell cocaine.
According to the indictment published on Thursday, 57-year-old Michael Hampton carried out plans to distribute at least 5 kilograms of a substance that contained a mixture of cocaine and other elements and at least 280 grams of another substance that contained detectable cocaine base.
The indictment accuses 15 individuals from Northern California of participating in various schemes to distribute variants of cocaine. Prosecutors said the plans were carried out over the course of three years.
Most of the individuals charged by the grand jury reside in the Sacramento area; Hampton was the only person accused from Solano County.
Some, including Hampton, are also charged with federal firearms offenses; Hampton had a previous felony conviction that prohibited him from owning or possessing a gun, the grand jury said.
In a press release issued on Thursday, federal prosecutors said the drug charges against Hampton, if proven, could earn him a sentence of life in prison. The charges could also come with a potential maximum fine of $10 million as well as a court order to forfeit certain money and property to the government.
The potential sentences stem from disparities in federal law that treats offenses connected to cocaine base — better known under the street terms “rock” or “crack” — more severely compared to powdery versions of cocaine. Those differences have generated a significant amount of controversy over the last three decades since the law was amended to punish cocaine base offenses more harshly as law enforcement officials struggled with a rise in crack cocaine use among minority groups.
Hampton is presumed innocent unless he pleads guilty or is convicted at trial; any potential sentence would be determined based on a variety of factors, including the degree of his participation in the alleged schemes.
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