Manuel Angel Vargas, 48, pleaded guilty to multiple methamphetamine charges, heroin sales, and firearm and ammunition possession and received a 10-year federal prison sentence in June. September 2019 seizures from his Castroville home included 10 pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of heroin, over $12,000 in cash, and a loaded firearm. A July 2020 raid recovered $3,840, about a half-pound of heroin, roughly three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine, and handwritten kites related to gang business. One kite referenced an individual called Razor Bully supplied by the Sinaloa Cartel and forwarding proceeds to Droopy de Castroville. Defense materials characterized Vargas as an addict and argued gang affiliation was incidental. An attached apology letter and support certificates framed the arrests as a turning point and expressed remorse for decades of addiction and street life.
Prosecutors say Vargas, a self-admitted Norteno who went by Droopy de Castroville, was caught in September 2019 with 10 pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of heroin, more than $12,000 in cash, and a loaded firearm in his Castroville home. In a subsequent July 2020 police raid, authorities allegedly found $3,840 in cash, about a half-pound of heroin, and roughly three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine.
The police also found kites, or handwritten notes pertaining to gang business. One seized in 2020 referenced an individual by the moniker of Razor Bully' selling narcotics and being supplied by the Sinaloa Cartel, and refers to three people assisting in selling narcotics and the proceeds and contributions being forwarded to Droopy de Castroville,' prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum.
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