Two California residents who were arrested following a traffic stop in Cass County earlier this year, have been sentenced to serve a total of more than 18-years in prison. A district court judge in Pottawattamie County, Tuesday, handed down a 160 month sentence against 38-year old Mario Ruben Borboa, of Downey, CA. for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Borboa must also serve 5-years of supervised release. His co-defendant, 30-year old Melissa Nicole Gallardo, of Lancaster, CA, is required to serve 65-months in prison on the same charge, plus three-years of supervised release.  Borboa entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on August 14th, 2014. Gallardo plead guilty to the charge on July 11th, 2014.
On February 27th, 2014, the Iowa State Patrol in Cass County (Iowa), conducted a traffic stop resulting in the seizure of approximately 16 pounds of methamphetamine that was located in the trunk of the car Borboa and Gallardo had driven from California. The investigation revealed that the methamphetamine was being transported from the Los Angeles, California, area to Waterloo, where it was to be distributed. Money received from the sale of the methamphetamine was to be returned to California at a later date.
The investigation was conducted by the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.