The U-S Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa says a Mexican citizen residence in Douglas County, Nebraska, was sentenced Tuesday to seven-years in prison for for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for being an illegal alien found in the United States after deportation. Judge John Jarvey also ordered Guillermo Hernandez-Sandoval to serve a five year term of supervised release following incarceration.

On August 4th, Hernandez-Sandoval entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from January, 2010, through February 25th, 2011, and to being illegally in the United States after deportation. Between January, 2010, and February 25, 2011, Hernandez-Sandoval, along with his co-defendant, Jorge Zamora-Lopez, distributed methamphetamine throughout South Omaha, Nebraska, and Western Iowa.

Law enforcement identified Hernandez-Sandoval as a potential source of methamphetamine when a controlled purchase was made in Shelby County, Iowa, using a confidential informant, in January of 2010. The investigation continued, and culminated in the arrest of Hernandez-Sandoval and Zamora-Lopez on February 25, 2011, when they drove to a location in South Omaha to deliver methamphetamine.

At the time of their arrest, Hernandez-Sandoval and Zamora-Lopez had over a pound of pure methamphetamine, cocaine, and over ten thousand dollars in currency in their possession. Prior to his arrest on February 25, 2011, Hernandez-Sandoval had been deported on four separate occasions.

The investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Shelby County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office, the Douglas County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office, the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, the Department of Homeland Security Enforcement and Removal Operation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.