Riverside man sentenced to 21 years for smuggling pounds of meth from Mexico into IE

A Riverside man was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for smuggling methamphetamine from Mexico to the Inland Empire during the COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020.

Timoteo Gomez, 51, was sentenced Monday and is the lead defendant in the drug trafficking case. He's been in federal custody since his June 2021 arrest.

In January 2022, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to the Justice Department , from about April until August 2020, Gomez and others purchased meth from their suppliers in Mexico as well as Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

Other members then distributed the drug in the I.E. In April 2020, Gomez and others smuggled 46.6 pounds of meth from Mexico across the U.S. port of entry at Calexico and into Riverside County, authorities said.

The next month, another co-conspirator tried to drive a load of 90.4 pounds into the U.S. from Mexico through the San Ysidro port of entry.

Authorities said in total, law enforcement seized more than 150 pounds of meth and $31,035 in cash during the investigation.

Since then, prosecutors have successfully convicted 16 people.