FRESNO -  Alecia Trapps, 58, of Manteca, was sentenced Sept. 17, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 21 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Trapps was the leader of a drug trafficking organization that was sending multiple pounds of methamphetamine and heroin to Juneau, Alaska, where the profits were much greater. The drugs were sourced in the Modesto area then transported to Alaska at Trapps’ direction utilizing numerous couriers as well as various methods and modes of transportation. In at least one instance, drugs from Modesto destined for Juneau were seized in Washington state as the courier tried to board the ferry.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Modesto Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, and the Whatcom County (Washington) Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melanie L. Alsworth and Laurel J. Montoya prosecuted the case.

Trapps is the last defendant to be sentenced in this case. Co-defendants were sentenced as follows: Jimmy Brantley was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Carmen Conejo was sentenced to five years of probation, Ernest Westley was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, Sheena Taylor was sentenced to 10 years, three months in prison, and Joseph Vasquez Jr. was sentenced to 26 years, eight months in prison.