San Francisco, California — A man who fled the United States and was later extradited from Honduras has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a major fentanyl trafficking operation tied to stash houses in Berkeley and Oakland, according to court records.
Five-Year Federal Sentence Handed Down
Gustavo Erazo, a former East Bay resident, was sentenced earlier this month to five years in federal prison by Charles Breyer, a senior U.S. District Judge in San Francisco. The sentencing follows Erazo’s 2023 indictment in connection with a fentanyl distribution ring that federal authorities dismantled through a series of raids in 2022.
Large Quantities of Fentanyl Recovered
Federal prosecutors said the investigation uncovered significant quantities of fentanyl across multiple locations in the East Bay.
At a Berkeley stash house, agents recovered approximately 15 pounds of fentanyl, while an additional one-and-a-half pounds were seized from Erazo’s residence in Oakland. Authorities also confiscated more than $50,086 in cash, most of which was found in the possession of one of Erazo’s co-defendants.
Prosecutors emphasized that the amount of fentanyl recovered represented a serious public safety threat, given the drug’s potency and its role in the ongoing overdose crisis.
Extradition From Honduras Highlighted by DOJ
Erazo’s case drew national attention last year after U.S. Department of Justice announced that he had been extradited from Honduras to face charges in the Bay Area. Court records show that Erazo fled the United States following the federal raids but was later located and returned through international cooperation.
Co-Defendants Already Sentenced
Erazo was indicted alongside Melvin Diaz-Arteaga and Luis Erazo-Centeno, both of whom have already received federal prison sentences. Diaz-Arteaga was sentenced to 78 months, while Erazo-Centeno received 56 months, according to court filings.
Defense Cites Poverty and Trauma
In sentencing memoranda, Erazo’s attorney urged the court to consider his difficult upbringing and personal history when determining punishment. Defense filings stated that Erazo was born in Honduras and raised in extreme poverty, along with five siblings. He reportedly began working at age 10 and experienced periods of hunger as a child…