An Oakland man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison this week for drug dealing in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Andy Cruz, 40, was charged and indicted in 2023 for drug crimes. According to prosecutors, in November of that year, he absconded, leading to a second indictment in 2024 for failure to appear in court and contempt of court. In May 2025, Cruz was found and arrested.
On Wednesday, Cruz pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to sell 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of failure to appear.
According to prosecutors, Cruz had been selling drugs in San Francisco and elsewhere since 2008. In 2023, officers saw Cruz making a drug transaction in the Tenderloin, which led to his arrest and a search of his person, which revealed multiple controlled substances. He was also seen dealing drugs from his car and transporting drugs throughout the Bay Area.
In October 2023, a search warrant was executed at his residence, car and person, yielding nearly a kilogram of fentanyl, 76 grams of heroin, and 25 grams of methamphetamine.
Cruz was immediately remanded to federal prison. Once he is out, he will be on probation for four years, prosecutors said.
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