SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against Sacramento residents Benjamin Macias, 37, and Sergio Ambriz, 26, charging them with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distributing cocaine, and distributing methamphetamine, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Macias is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of firearm.
According to court documents, in 2014 and 2015, Macias supplied Ambriz with cocaine and Ambriz sold the cocaine to an undercover agent in Sacramento and El Dorado Counties. Ambriz also sold the undercover agent methamphetamine. When Macias was arrested, a Ruger 9mm pistol was found in his vehicle.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Michael McCoy is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Macias faces a maximum statutory sentence of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Ambriz faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison and an $8 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
