Napa County Man Guilty In Oakland Airport Drug Smuggling Ring
OAKLAND (BCN/AP) -- An American Canyon man has been convicted of three federal felony counts for leading an operation that smuggled cocaine through the Oakland International Airport, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
On Tuesday, a federal jury that deliberated for two days convicted 46-year-old Millard Chambers of conspiracy to distribute and possess five kilograms or more of cocaine, attempted distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Federal prosecutors said evidence at a seven-day trial found that Chambers was the leader of a six-person smuggling ring.
They said once the cocaine was carried past airport security by an airport employee, who used his security access to bypass Transportation Safety Administration screening measures, it was handed off to a courier who flew to Pittsburgh to deliver the cocaine to a customer in Warren, Ohio.
The conspiracy lasted for eight months, from February to September 2008, before FBI agents caught the courier with six kilograms of cocaine in her luggage, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
Prosecutors said the subsequent investigation led to the identification and capture of the five remaining members of the conspiracy, including Chambers.
Chambers, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 2, 2008, has three prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and possession, including a prior federal conviction for distributing one kilogram or more of cocaine.
Chambers faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton on March 9.
Because he has a prior drug trafficking conviction, he is subject to a mandatory minimum prison term of 20 years and a maximum fine of $8 million.
The alleged courier, Elizabeth Fainelli, and two other defendants have pending charges. Another two defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
