Santa Rosa heroin dealer agrees to forfeit more than $1 million

A Santa Rosa man who operated a drug distribution ring agreed to forfeit more than $1 million in a deal with federal prosecutors, authorities announced Thursday.

Eutimio Reyna-Ceron, also known as Tony, Gordo and Little Tony, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco to drug and money laundering charges arising from the largest heroin seizure in Sonoma County history.

Reyna-Ceron, 29, admitted that at any given time he had three couriers working for him delivering heroin and methamphetamine and laundering proceeds of the transactions, which added up to between $2,500 and $3,000 per day.

Reyna-Ceron told prosecutors the group distributed an average of a half-kilogram of heroin per week over a period of at least seven months.

Investigators broke up the drug ring in December 2015, conducting pre-dawn raids in six cities following a two-year investigation.

Reyna-Ceron was charged along with 19 other defendants. He plead guilty Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, distribution of heroin, and money laundering.

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria has scheduled Reyna-Ceron’s sentencing for June 27. He faces up to life in prison.

Eleven other defendants, including several members of Reyna-Ceron’s family, have pleaded guilty to similar charges. Sentencing hearings are scheduled in August and September.

The investigation involved the United States Attorney’s Office, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Santa Rosa Police Department, Petaluma Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 707-521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@deadlinederek.