Beatriz Roman-Luna, Jose Gomez-Trujillo Get 10 Years for Meth Conspiracy

A 10-year federal prison sentence is the price Beatriz Roman-Luna, 33, of Paulina, Iowa, and Jose Gomez-Trujillo, 30, from Mexico, will pay for flooding local streets with nearly three-quarters of a pound of pure methamphetamine. The pair admitted to a conspiracy that spanned early 2016, distributing high-purity meth across Iowa before being caught in a sting involving law enforcement cooperators.

Roman-Luna pleaded guilty on June 22, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine and two counts of distribution, aiding and abetting the sale of 5 grams or more of the drug. Gomez-Trujillo entered a separate guilty plea on July 6, 2016, on the same drug charges—and an additional count for illegally being in the United States.

Court documents reveal the duo distributed approximately ¾ of a pound of pure meth during two transactions in February 2016. Both sales were made to individuals working directly with federal agents, sealing their fates. The operation was part of a broader crackdown by the Tri-State Drug Task Force, which has intensified pressure on cross-border drug networks operating in northwest Iowa.

U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand handed down identical 120-month sentences to both defendants during proceedings in Sioux City. In addition to prison time, Roman-Luna was hit with a $300 special assessment; Gomez-Trujillo owes $400. Each will serve a mandatory 5-year term of supervised release upon completion of their sentence. Parole is not an option in the federal system.

The investigation was a multi-agency siege on the regional drug trade. The Tri-State Drug Task Force—composed of DEA agents, Homeland Security Investigations, Sioux City and South Sioux City police, Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Iowa National Guard, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, U.S. Marshals Service, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office—led the probe. The coordination underscores the reach of rural narcotics networks and the federal response.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn S. Wehde prosecuted the case. Both defendants remain in U.S. Marshals custody pending transfer to federal prison. Court records are available via the Northern District of Iowa’s electronic filing system under case number 16-4036. Follow updates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.