SAN FRANCISCO — A man who, along with other members of his family, helped lead a suspected drug trafficking organization that federal authorities say offered housing to people who worked for them as street dealers, entered a guilty plea Wednesday afternoon.
Victor “Mojarra” Viera-Chirinos pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute meth, heroin, cocaine base, and cocaine. Viera-Chirinos was named by federal authorities as a high-ranking member of an organization led by his brother, Eduardo Viera-Chirinos, that shipped drugs from Los Angeles to Livermore, then distributed them around the Bay Area and as far north as Seattle.
Wednesday afternoon’s plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer hit a slight snag when Victor Viera-Chirinos was being questioned on his competency and willingness to enter a guilty plea, a standard process for such a hearing. When asked if he conceded there was enough evidence against him, Viera-Chirinos replied, “I believe they could prove the heroin, but I don’t believe they could with the other charges against me.”
“Where does that leave us?” Breyer asked.
The process resumed after Viera-Chirinos’ attorney had a brief word with him, and he said “that’s correct” when asked the same question minutes later.
The complaint against Viera-Chirinos and eight others contains allegations that — had the drug trafficking group been a legitimate business — could have been prosecuted as labor law violations. The leaders of the organization would “sublease” apartments to street-level dealers, packing the housing units beyond their intended capacity with “up to 10 adult men,” sometimes with partners and children.
Another man, Cilder Velasquez, would routinely travel to each of these “redistributor houses” and supply them with drugs to sell, according to the criminal complaint.
During the investigation, authorities conducted multiple drug seizures, finding pounds of suspected heroin and meth, and in one, around $80,000 in cash. They also wiretapped the defendants’ phones, allegedly recording Viera-Chirinos speculating as to who had “snitched” on them when drug couriers were pulled over near Seattle and more than five pounds of suspected drugs were found in a hidden compartment on the car.
In one of these calls, Eduardo Viera-Chirinos allegedly talked about wanting to murder someone in Honduras, prosecutors alleged in a news release announcing the charges in 2019, as part of the so-called Federal Initiative in the Tenderloin, or FIT.
Victor Viera-Chirinos faces a minimum of five years in prison for the conspiracy charge.
