San Jose Man Sentenced To 13 Yrs On Drug Conspiracy Charges: Feds

SAN JOSE, CA -- A San Jose man was sentenced today to more than 13 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, federal law officials announced Tuesday.

U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson and Chris Nielsen, a special agent with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration built a case against Tuan Ngoc Nguyen involving his role in conspiring with others to sell a pound of methamphetamine to a confidential informant working with the DEA during a week in February 2017.

The substance he sold was tested and determined to contain about 430.5 grams of 100 percent pure “crystal meth." A federal grand jury returned a second indictment last October charging Nguyen with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and another on the distribution of the drug, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841.

Nguyen, 51, pleaded guilty on both counts.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Beth Labson Freeman sentenced the defendant to a five-year period of supervised release. Nguyen has been in custody since his arrest. He'll begin serving his sentence immediately.

Nguyen’s co-defendants, Julio Camacho Pacheco and Quang Phuong Huynh, pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the conspiracy on April 3 and Sept. 4, respectively. In July, the judge sentenced Pacheco to 140 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. In December, Freeman sentenced Huynh to 120 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.