HSI investigation of app developer leads to 120-month sentence for drug distribution
Seizure of 549 grams of LSD, illegal weapons, ballistic vests and more
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Matthew Hutchings, 26, was sentenced, Tuesday, by Northern District of California Federal Judge Beth Labson Freeman to 120 months of incarceration for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. This sentencing is the result of a joint Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Jose and University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Police Department investigation.
The investigation was initiated following the discovery of the “Banana Plug” app that was used as a storefront to sell contraband to students in and around the UCSC campus. The investigation into the UCSC developer led to Hutchings, a former USCS student, who also distributed contraband in and around the campus.
"This sentencing demonstrates the extraordinary results that can be achieved when local and federal law enforcement work together to combat drug trafficking," said Special Agent in Charge Tatum King, who oversees HSI operations in Northern California. “Drug trafficking is a transnational problem, but the solutions may start at home and coordination like what we’ve seen here is one of the best ways to combat and disrupt these trafficking networks. We appreciate the law enforcement work by the men and women of the UCSC Police Department as well as the prosecutorial efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of California that led to the successful conclusion of this joint investigation.”
“We at the UCSC Police Department are committed to the safety of our campus community and work hard to serve and protect our students,” said University of California Santa Cruz Police Chief Mary Garcia. “We thank Homeland Security Investigations San Francisco, the City of Santa Cruz Police Department, Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office, Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Santa Clara County Specialized Enforcement Team (SCCSET), and the Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team (SCCACT) for their joint efforts in this case.”
Pursuant to a state warrant, a search of Hutchings’ residence resulted in the seizure of three firearms, rifle magazines, ammunition, over $17,000 cash, 32 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, 454 grams of crystal MDMA/MDA, 549 grams of LSD, 189.7 grams suspected ketamine, 8.58 pounds of honey oil, approximately 60 pounds of marijuana and unidentified tablets and pills. In addition, a search of Hutchings’ storage unit resulted in the seizure of 410 grams of concentrated cannabis, 4 grams of LSD, 90 grams of liquid Valium, a short-barreled AR-15 rifle with high capacity magazines, a 12-Gauge shotgun, miscellaneous ammunition, 4 ballistic vests, a cash counting machine, a digital scale, and various drug testing kits.
HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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