Last of the Apehangers
Final Sentence Handed Down in Weapons, Drug Ring Takedown
With the sentencing of Alejandro Raya on Tuesday, Operation Apehanger has officially come to a close.
All the cases stemming from the September 2009 raids of seven locations, the result of an eight-month investigation by local and federal authorities, have been resolved. At the time of the arrests, authorities said they seized eight AK-47 fully automatic assault rifles, one AR-15 assault rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, two Glock .40-caliber handguns, and a .45-caliber automatic gun; many of the weapons had been manufactured by some of the suspects. Also recovered were spare parts that could convert assault rifles to fully automatic, boxes of ammunition, more than 80 marijuana plants with a street value of more than $100,000, as well as cocaine, methamphetamine, and psychedelic mushrooms.
Raya pleaded to three counts of possession of assault weapons and possession of narcotics, and was sentenced to eight years in state prison. Despite impassioned pleas from family members, who insisted Raya was — for the first time in his life — ready to make a change and become clean and sober, Raya’s sentence was one of the most severe penalties received by the defendants, all of whom pleaded to charges prior to going to trial. According to Judge Brian Hill, Raya was caught on tape selling an AK-47 to undercover officers. Raya said he sold the guns to support his extensive drug habit.
