SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Catalin Kifan, 26, of Manteca, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr., United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced today. On August 26, 2016, Kifan pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA with intent to distribute.
According to the plea agreement, on April 21, 2015, federal agents searched Kifan’s residence in Manteca and found a variety of drugs, including 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, 608 grams of MDMA and lesser amounts of marijuana, bath salts, steroids, methamphetamine, adrenaline, and prescription pills. In March and April 2015, law enforcement seized two packages of MDMA destined for the Manteca residence, as well as one package of MDMA sent to his co-defendant’s residence in Las Vegas. A search of the Las Vegas residence resulted in the seizure of additional quantities of drugs, including MDMA and steroids.
This case was the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Southern Nevada Heroin Task Force (SNHTF), and the Manteca Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Khasigian prosecuted the case.
Co-defendant Jason Matecki, 42, pleaded guilty on April 8, 2016, and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2017.
The investigation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) that was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.