Contra Costa County Man Convicted of Large Scale Drug Trafficking in Yuba County

SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that MICHAEL J. ELLISON, 42, of Richmond, pleaded guilty to possession of at least 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine before United States District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California Highway Patrol, and the NET-5 drug task force of Northern California.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez, who is prosecuting the case, ELLISON was traveling by car near Marysville on May 22, 2007, when CHP officers stopped him for speeding. During a routine investigation, they observed that ELLISON possessed drug trafficking materials and paraphernalia. After the items were observed, ELLISON admitted to the officers that he had recently used illicit drugs. In ELLISON’s vehicle, CHP officers found packaged methamphetamine, cocaine base (crack), and marijuana, which were packaged for distribution and sale.

ELLISON is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Damrell on November 16, 2009. He faces a minimum mandatory of five years in prison, a statutory maximum of up to 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $2,000,000.The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables and any applicable statutory sentencing factors.