Leader of SF Tenderloin drug dealing network sentenced to federal prison
SAN FRANCISCO – An East Bay man who led a network of drug dealers on the streets of San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood was sentenced for his role in the scheme, federal prosecutors said.
According to U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds' office, 27-year-old Andy Manuel Reanos-Moreno was sentenced to six years federal prison on Tuesday. Reanos-Moreno was arrested in 2019 and pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Court documents said Reanos-Moreno led what was described as a "sophisticated operation," featuring a vast network of street-level drug dealers. The dealers lived in housing provided by Reanos-Moreno in Oakland and commuted to San Francisco to sell drugs, which included heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.
Prosecutors said Reanos-Moreno's role included sourcing the drugs from Southern California, renting houses and apartments for dealers and managing customer relations.
The government's sentencing memorandum said Reanos-Moreno, "used his legal immigration status, his knowledge of real estate in the area, and his ability to pay upfront costs such as deposits on apartments as a means of both enticing street-level dealers to work for his organization and then holding their feet to the fire to ensure that they sold enough drugs or else they would lose their housing or face potential legal jeopardy."
Dealers were expected to purchase drugs for resale only from him. Reanos-Moreno also hired undocumented dealers and would use his knowledge of immigration laws to threaten dealers who did not sell enough, according to prosecutors.
Reanos-Moreno, who has been in custody since his arrest, will begin his prison sentence immediately, prosecutors said.
Along with prison time, he was ordered to forfeit $25,000 that was seized from his home during his arrest, along with four years of supervised release once out of prison.