Manuel Greenhalgh, a 32-year-old resident of Sacramento, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for heroin trafficking. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that Greenhalgh was one of eight federal defendants charged with drug trafficking in connection with a multi-agency operation targeting cocaine and heroin traffickers. In May 2020, a wiretap captured Greenhalgh discussing sourcing heroin from Mexico and the challenges of smuggling drugs across the border. Agents later observed Greenhalgh meeting with a co-defendant. Upon leaving, he was stopped, and authorities discovered 1,986.6 grams of heroin in his car, which he intended to distribute.
Co-defendant Albert Gurley received a sentence of seven years for possession with intent to distribute heroin. Other co-defendants, Delanious Ward, Agustin Gonzalez, Craig Hunter, David Byrd, and Kevin Yancy, have pleaded guilty to various drug trafficking charges and are awaiting sentencing. Meanwhile, charges against Jorge Mejia-Nolasco remain unresolved; he is facing accusations of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and others. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron L. Desmond and Emily G. Sauvageau are prosecuting the case.
This operation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative. The Sacramento Strike Force coordinates efforts between different agencies to conduct intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling major drug traffickers, money launderers, and transnational criminal organizations in California and beyond.