Two individuals have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in a fatal cannabis robbery attempt.
Jose Antonio Alvarez and Omar Rojo, both 25, “pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and received their sentences in late October,” according to Bay Area News Group.
Alvarez and Rojo were each handed a 16-year prison term.
Initially, the pair faced charges of murder and robbery related to the death of 25-year-old Jaime Valdovinos, as per the same publication.
Valdovinos and an associate were the victims of Alvarez and Rojo’s attempted heist involving a significant quantity of marijuana in September 2019, reports Bay Area News Group.
NBC Bay Area revealed that Oakland police documented statements from the surviving victim, asserting that Rojo and another individual forcibly took a large quantity of marijuana from Valdovinos and himself, leading to a struggle where Valdovinos was fatally shot.
Rojo, 20 years old at the time, faced charges of special circumstances murder shortly after the incident, according to the NBC affiliate.
Per NBC Bay Area, evidence from witnesses and surveillance footage suggested Rojo’s presence in the vehicle with Valdovinos and his companion, as stated in a probable cause affidavit by Oakland police Officer Michael Jaeger.
Alvarez, on the other hand, was apprehended in April 2021, as indicated by a report.
Further details on the sentencing of the two men are available from Bay Area News Group.
According to police reports, both Alvarez and Rojo discharged firearms during the robbery attempt. The fatal shooting occurred as the victims tried to retrieve their marijuana, stated Oakland police. Alvarez was identified as a suspect through surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts, the police added. The plea agreement also requires the defendants to avoid contact with the surviving victim and prohibits them from possessing firearms post-release. Both were originally facing charges that could have led to life imprisonment without parole.
This case underscores the persistent dangers in the illegal drug trade, a focus for Bay Area law enforcement efforts.
In a notable recent action, Oakland law enforcement raided a warehouse storing cannabis plants valued at millions of dollars. This operation was one of California’s largest busts this year, as reported by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“We are actively fighting against illegal cannabis cultivation, which has now expanded from outdoor to indoor operations, aiding in the development of a legitimate market,” stated Janice Mackey, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. She mentioned that their cannabis enforcement program continually gathers intelligence and conducts various investigations in collaboration with state and local partners to tackle different facets of the illegal cannabis market.
KGO, a local news station, reported that authorities eradicated over 41,000 illegal cannabis plants and destroyed approximately 1,841 pounds of processed cannabis, valued at nearly $37 million. The raid also led to the recovery of three firearms.
Previously, an armed heist at an Oakland cannabis dispensary resulted in over $100,000 worth of stolen goods.
Alan Sorrentino, owner of the C.R.A.F.T. (Citizens Research Alliance for Therapeutics) Cannabis dispensary, recounted the incident to KTVU. He described how the assailants cut off power to the building around 3 a.m. and managed to loot over $100,000 worth of products. Despite notifying the police, the thieves successfully escaped, leaving significant damage in their wake.
For more details on the burglary, visit KTVU’s coverage.
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