People v. Ochoa

248 Cal. App. 4th 15, 203 Cal. Rptr. 3d 347, 2016 Cal. App. LEXIS 467
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 13, 2016
DocketH041918
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 248 Cal. App. 4th 15 (People v. Ochoa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Ochoa, 248 Cal. App. 4th 15, 203 Cal. Rptr. 3d 347, 2016 Cal. App. LEXIS 467 (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Opinion

MÁRQUEZ, J.

Defendant Jack Jerry Ochoa was the middleman in a drug ring supplying methamphetamine to the Nuestra Familia criminal street gang (Nuestra Familia). He received methamphetamine from his suppliers, stored it on his property, and sold it to the commanders of Nuestra Familia street regiments.

In 2008, the prosecution charged defendant and his suppliers with, among other things, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The defendants who were charged in the 2008 complaint included no known members of Nuestra Familia, and the complaint charged no gang-related offenses or enhancements. After defendant pleaded no contest to conspiracy and possession charges, the trial court imposed a total sentence of 10 years in prison.

In April 2009, one month after defendant was sentenced in the 2008 case, the prosecution indicted him and 28 others for active participation in Nuestra Familia. The indictment once again charged defendant with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, but this time for the benefit of Nuestra Familia. Defendant moved to dismiss the indictment as a violation of the bar against multiple prosecutions set forth in Penal Code section 654 and Kellett v. Superior Court (1966) 63 Cal.2d 822 [48 Cal.Rptr. 366, 409 P.2d 206] (Kellett). After the trial court denied the motion, defendant moved to dismiss the indictment on double jeopardy grounds. The trial court denied that motion as well. Defendant then pleaded no contest to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and admitted the offense was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang. At sentencing, the court granted defendant’s request for a certificate of probable cause limited to the claims raised herein.

Defendant appeals from the trial court’s denial of his motions to dismiss on Kellett and double jeopardy grounds. We hold defendant’s indictment was barred under Kellett and Penal Code section 654 because the prosecution was aware that the same course of conduct formed a significant part of the *20 offenses charged in the 2008 complaint. Accordingly, we will reverse the judgment and vacate the conviction. We do not reach defendant’s claim of double jeopardy.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

A. Overview

Defendant was a middleman and “stash house operator” in a methamphetamine distribution operation. He received large quantities of methamphetamine from Rudy “Gallo” Mendez and Jesus “Silent” Venegas, who procured the methamphetamine from México. Defendant stored the methamphetamine on his property and sold it to members of Nuestra Familia, a criminal street gang operating in Santa Clara County and nearby areas. Defendant’s primary customer was Lorenzo “Lencho” Guzman, the commander of a Nuestra Familia street regiment in San José. Defendant also supplied methamphetamine to at least two other regiment commanders and other members of Nuestra Familia.

The prosecution charged defendant in two separate cases alleging two different conspiracies. First, in 2008, the prosecution charged defendant in a 12-defendant complaint including Mendez, Venegas, and others, but not including members of Nuestra Familia. We will refer to this case (People v. Ochoa (Super. Ct. Santa Clara County, 2009, No. CC805059)) as the “Mendez-Venegas prosecution.” Defendant pleaded no contest to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and other charges, and the trial court sentenced him in March 2009.

Then, in April 2009, the prosecution indicted defendant and 28 others for active participation in Nuestra Familia and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine for the benefit of the gang. We will refer to this case (Santa Clara County Superior Court docket No. 211398) as the “Nuestra Familia prosecution.”

B. The Mendez-Venegas Prosecution

Investigation in the Mendez-Venegas case was conducted by the bureau of narcotic enforcement (BNE), the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, and the San José Police Department. Members of the San José Police Department were made aware of the Mendez-Venegas distribution ring as early as August 2007. On August 10, 2007, BNE agents conducted a warrant search of a residence in San José and seized 17 pounds of crystal methamphetamine. Agents arrested the resident, who identified Mendez and Venegas as the leaders of a drug trafficking ring in San José. Several days later, BNE agents *21 met with Detective Juan Vallejo of the narcotic and covert investigations unit of the San José Police Department. Detective Vallejo gave the agents an organizational chart identifying Mendez as the head of the organization, with Venegas as his “right hand man,” and defendant as a “stash house” operator. Detective Vallejo further identified defendant as an active member of Nuestra Familia.

On November 25, 2007, Detective Vallejo informed BNE agents that Venegas and Mendez were traveling to Guadalajara to meet with a drug source. Venegas and Mendez planned to drive to the Tijuana border, cross into México, and fly to Guadalajara. Venegas was carrying $90,000 to pay the drug source. The police immediately initiated surveillance of Venegas’s residence in San José. They observed Mendez and Venegas leave in a vehicle together and drive southbound on Interstate 5 as far as Coalinga, whereupon police terminated their surveillance.

On May 13, 2008, investigators arrested defendant and several others for operating an international methamphetamine distribution ring in Santa Clara County. In defendant’s apartment, police found a pound of methamphetamine, a loaded semiautomatic pistol, 12 cell phones, $23,310 in cash, a scale, and materials commonly used to process methamphetamine.

The prosecution charged defendant, Mendez, Venegas, and nine other codefendants with possession of methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, among other charges. The complaint alleged the conspiracy took place between February 11, 2008, and May 13, 2008. The prosecution considered Mendez to be the leader of the conspiracy, with Venegas operating as his right-hand man. Mendez and Venegas were principally involved in procuring the methamphetamine, most of which they obtained in large quantities from a source in México. Defendant’s role involved holding or storing the methamphetamine and transferring it to buyers. He also cut the methamphetamine to reduce its purity and converted methamphetamine in powder form to crystal methamphetamine before providing it to his buyers.

On October 2, 2008, the parties reached a plea agreement whereby defendant pleaded no contest to four counts: (1) possession of methamphetamine for sale (Health & Saf. Code, § 11378); (2) conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine (Pen. Code, § 182, subd. (a)(1); Health & Saf. Code, § 11379, subd. (a)); (3) possession of a firearm by a felon (Pen. Code, former § 12021, subd. (a)(1)); and (4) possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm (Health & Saf. Code, § 11370.1). As to the first count, defendant admitted allegations that he was personally armed with a firearm in the commission of the offense. (Pen. Code, § 12022, subd.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
248 Cal. App. 4th 15, 203 Cal. Rptr. 3d 347, 2016 Cal. App. LEXIS 467, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ochoa-calctapp-2016.