Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Jose Ivan Marino-Meza, 25, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard to 11 years and three months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine actual (pure) between March and October of 2020. Marino-Meza was also ordered to forfeit any interest he had in $38,840.00 in United States currency. Following his prison term, Marino-Meza will serve five years on supervised release. However, he is likely to be deported to Mexico at the end of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
In March and April of 2020, a confidential informant working with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force and an undercover officer made four purchases of methamphetamine totaling at least two pounds from Lucio Cruz-Guerrero. Marino-Meza accompanied Cruz on some of these purchases. In July of 2020, an undercover officer bought approximately one ounce of methamphetamine from Marino-Meza who drove to the buy location in a car belonging to Cruz. In August of 2020, the undercover officer made two additional purchases of methamphetamine from Cruz totaling approximately ¾ pound. In October of 2020, search warrants were executed at Cruz’s Lincoln residence, Marino’s Omaha residence, and two storage units used by Cruz. A total of approximately 33 pounds of methamphetamine and $38,840 in cash were found during these searches. Testing at the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab showed the methamphetamine purchased and found during the searches contained a total of more than six kilograms of methamphetamine actual (pure).
Cruz-Guerrero was sentenced in July of 2021 to 168 months in prison on the conspiracy charge and was ordered to forfeit any interest in the seized $38,840.00 in U.S. currency.
This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
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