January 22, 2015
Contact: DEA Public Affairs
Number: 415-436-7994

JAN 22 (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment today against Sonia Kim, Julius Caubat, Kamaljit Billen, Gurdeep Singh, June Chungil, and Justin Byun, charging them with conspiracy to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court documents, law enforcement began investigating the defendants when a car rental company reported that 20 kilograms of cocaine had been found in the trunk of a rental car that had been returned on December 8, 2014, by Kim. Investigating officers learned that on December 21, 2014, Kim was present at a hotel in Yuba City with Byun, Chungil and Caubat. All the defendants were arrested by police after 60 kilograms of cocaine were transferred to Billen and Singh in the hotel parking lot.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sacramento County Sheriff Department’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Paul A. Hemesath is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 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.

http://www.dea.gov/divisions/sf/2015/sf012215.shtml

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