22 March 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Defendants Sold Thousands of Pounds of Chemicals With a Potential Maximum Yield of 44,000 Pounds of Methamphetamine With a Street Value of Over $390 Million
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced that David Conkey, 61 and Carol Conkey, 59, both of San Ramon California, were convicted by a federal jury late yesterday in connection with a conspiracy to distribute chemicals that they had reasonable cause to believe would be used to manufacture methamphetamine. The jury deliberated for four days. David Conkey was convicted of the following counts:
* 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute iodine and red phosphorous knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine;
* 1 count of possession and distribution of iodine knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine; and
* 2 counts of money laundering.
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* Carol Conkey was convicted of the following counts:
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* 2 counts of conspiracy to distribute iodine and red phosphorous knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine;
* 8 counts of possession and distribution of red phosphorous or iodine knowing, intending, or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
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* The jury acquitted Carol Conkey of two possession and distribution counts, and each defendant was acquitted of one count of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity. Mr. and Ms. Conkey were indicted by a federal grand jury in a superseding indictment on August 12, 2004.
Mr. and Ms. Conkey operated Alpha Chemical Supply, which from 1992 to 2001, distributed thousands of pounds of hydriodic acid, red phosphorous, and iodine knowing or with reasonable cause to believe that the chemicals would be used to manufacture methamphetamine.
This conviction is one in a series of civil and criminal charges brought against chemical supply companies in Northern California for selling chemicals and/or equipment knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the items would be used to manufacture controlled substances. The other companies include Custom Laboratory Supply, CFRI (Chemicals for Research and Industry), and All Discount Laboratory Supply. Custom Laboratory Supply was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, and the defendants received sentences between ten and twenty four years. The defendants associated with All Discount Laboratory Supply were convicted for possessing and distributing chemicals and equipment that they had reasonable cause to believe would be used to manufacture over 80 tons of methamphetamine.
The maximum statutory penalty for each count of conspiracy to distribute iodine and red phosphorous knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine is ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of possession and distribution of red phosphorous or iodine knowing, intending, or having reasonable cause to believe that it will be used to manufacture methamphetamine is ten years in prison and a $250,000. The maximum statutory penalty for each count of money laundering is twenty years in prison and a fine of $500,000. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the Court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553.
The sentencing of Mr. and Ms. Conkey is scheduled for June 24, 2005, before Senior United States District Court Judge D. Lowell Jensen in Oakland.
The conviction is the result of a multi-year investigation by agents of the California Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, DEA, IRS, and the Concord Police Department. Alexis Hunter and Lew Davis are the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who prosecuted the case with the assistance of Cynthia Daniel, Kathleen Glynn, Diana Wong, Sutton Peirce, Tim Kingwell, Barbara Phillips, Patty Lau, and Noble Hughes.
A copy of this press release and related court filings may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can . Related court documents and information may be found on the District Court website at www.cand.uscourts.gov or on .
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Luke Macaulay at (415) 436-6757 or by email at Luke.Macaulay3@usdoj.gov .
