California man sentenced to 12 years in prison for intent to distribute meth

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - A 45-year-old man of Hemet, California was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday in federal court in Lincoln.

A U.S. District judge sentenced Gilbert Cruz Hernandez for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing meth. After the sentence, Hernandez will also serve five years of supervised release.

In an investigation with the Nebraska State Patrol, there was a search in Hernandez’s car on Aug. 8 after being pulled over for a traffic violation near I-80 in Lincoln. In the car search, they found a bag officers suspected was meth.

The bag went to a lab for testing and officials “determined the suspected meth was 319.29 grams of meth, of which at least 300 grams was actual meth,” according to the release. During the car search, officers say a trooper smelled an odor of marijuana instantly and saw many marijuana containers in the front passenger seat.

It’s reported from the release of the U.S. Attorney’s Office that Hernandez admitted having marijuana.