Department of Justice

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Eduardo Reyes, 33, of Stockton, charging him with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Reyes fled from officers during an attempted traffic stop on Dec. 31, 2020. Reyes was apprehended, and officers discovered approximately a pound of methamphetamine, as well as a fully automatic privately made firearm (also called a ghost gun) and ammunition that Reyes had discarded during flight. Reyes is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. At the time of the incident, Reyes was on federal supervised release following a 2017 federal robbery conviction.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the California Highway Patrol; and the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine E. Schuh is prosecuting the case.

If convicted of the drug distribution charge, Reyes faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million. If convicted of the using a firearm while drug trafficking, Reyes faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. If convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition, he faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.