Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
Natalie Marie Gonzalez, an Oakland resident, has been sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for her role in leading a drug trafficking service that distributed controlled substances in the Bay Area. U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson announced the sentence related to Gonzalez's guilty plea for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Gonzalez, 31, was indicted alongside three others in October 2023. By September 2024, she admitted to conspiracy for distributing a methamphetamine mixture, violating specific U.S. Code sections. From April to September 2023, Gonzalez managed "The Shop," a drug delivery service targeting students and professionals, and conducted operations largely through the Signal app. This service mandated a minimum order amount for deliveries across the Bay Area, with Gonzalez employing drivers, including her co-defendants, for dispatch.
Reportedly, Gonzalez also facilitated transactions with an undercover agent, detailing drug exchange methods and emphasizing customer discretion. She noted that customers were "a lot of students and young professionals." In financial transactions, Gonzalez encouraged the use of cryptocurrency for payments, providing multiple Bitcoin addresses for this purpose.
During a search at the group's Menlo Park stash house in September 2023, law enforcement seized large quantities of various drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine-designed pills. Following the prison sentence, Gonzalez faces a three-year supervised release period.
Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and DEA Special Agent in Charge Bob P. Beris released the statement. This case forms part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a multi-agency initiative targeting key criminal networks in the U.S.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Pastor, supported by Andy Ding, is prosecuting the case, following the investigation by the DEA and IRS Criminal Investigation.
