Monterey Park Ecstacy trafficker gets 22 years in federal prison

A Monterey Park man who operated a massive Ecstasy trafficking ring has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison, authorities said Tuesday.

Jimmy Luong, 30, pleaded guilty last year to trafficking the drug, manufacturing methamphetamine and a third charge of possessing a custom-made assault rifle.

Prosecutors said Luong was at the helm of an organization that in a matter of a few months distributed more than 1 million Ecstasy pills.

U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson called the operation "extraordinary" during Luong's sentencing hearing Monday afternoon.

Justice Department officials said Luong had a stash house in City of Industry that included a sophisticated methamphetamine lab and weapons. They said investigators also found stashes in Arcadia -- uncovering more than 500,000 Ecstasy, or MDMA, tablets -- and at a third location where 250,000 tablets were seized.

Officials said Luong is one of 15 men named in an indictment that was returned by a federal grand jury in 2010, including several who have been sentenced to prison terms or are awaiting a sentence for their roles in the operation.

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-- Rick Rojas