Bay Area man pleads guilty after attempting to distribute over 4 pounds of crystal meth through undercover federal agent

OAKLAND, Calif. – An East Bay man pleaded guilty in federal court in Oakland Monday to possessing with the intent to distribute over four pounds of crystal methamphetamine, following a multiagency probe that included special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Joseph Edward Conner, 47, of Bay Point, admitted he engaged in three transactions with a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) undercover agent in an effort to distribute the methamphetamine. On Aug. 22, 2014, Conner negotiated the sale of a half-pound of 99 percent pure methamphetamine for $3,000. Conner sold the drugs to an undercover DEA task force agent in the parking lot of the Sun Valley Mall in Concord. Later, Conner used text messages to arrange another meeting with the undercover agent for Nov. 6, 2014, in the same parking lot. Upon meeting with the undercover agent, Conner handed over a pound of 99.5 percent pure methamphetamine in exchange for $5,400. The third transaction occurred Dec. 16, 2014. On this occasion, Conner sought to sell three pounds of 97.5 percent pure methamphetamine for $14,400, but was arrested prior to completing the sale.

Conner was indicted by a federal grand jury June 2, 2015. He was charged with three counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Under a plea agreement, Conner pleaded guilty to all three counts alleged in the indictment. 

Following his arrest Dec. 16, 2014, Conner was released on a $150,000 secured bond. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 28 before U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. in Oakland.  He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Claudia A. Quiroz, Andrew Dawson, and David Countryman are prosecuting the case.

In addition to HSI and the DEA, the following agencies participated in this investigation: the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office; the South San Francisco Police Department; the Oakland Police Department; the Oakland School Police Department; the Walnut Creek Police Department; and the San Ramon Police Department.

The case is a product of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.