Federal Court — A California man, Willie Gonzalez, a/k/a “Bullet,” 31, was found guilty by a jury sitting in federal court in East St. Louis of participating in a large methamphetamine distribution organization, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today. Gonzalez was found guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27, 2015, in United States District Court in East St. Louis. He faces a potential sentence of twenty-five years to life in prison, a fine of up to $20,000,000, at least 10 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment per count of conviction.
Evidence in support of this prosecution was obtained in an investigation which was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. Agencies participating in this case include the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Marshal Service. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce.