SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a
seven-count indictment today against Nathan Paul Barnes, 23, and Tiarra Maureen
Jackson, 22, both of Rancho Cordova, charging them with conspiracy to
distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and psilocybin, U.S.
Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Barnes and Jackson operated a
drug distribution enterprise called “Fine Cali Herb” over various social media
platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat. Barnes and Jackson sold large
quantities of marijuana, THC products, and psilocybin mushrooms to customers
throughout the United States and abroad. Barnes received payment for the
narcotics in several forms, including Bitcoin. In July 2018, law enforcement
agents conducted an undercover purchase of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms
from Barnes through his Snapchat account. Case agents also conducted
surveillance of Barnes and Jackson dropping off mail parcels containing
narcotics at post offices throughout the Sacramento area.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Northern
California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) Task Force, consisting of agents
from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the
United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Drug Enforcement
Administration. The NCIDE Task Force targets all forms of dark-web and
cryptocurrency criminal activity in the Eastern District of California.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant B. Rabenn and Paul A. Hemesath are prosecuting
the case.
If convicted, Barnes and Jackson face a maximum statutory
penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. 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
defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.
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