Utah’s ‘Maniac’ Mendoza Jailed 110 Months for Meth Conspiracy

Utah’s notorious drug runner Alfredo Chavez Mendoza, alias ‘Maniac,’ ‘Julian,’ and ‘Julian Mendoza,’ has been sentenced to 110 months in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that spanned across state lines. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange on May 16, 2017, also includes four years of supervised release, a $500 fine, and a mandatory special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund totaling $100.

Mendoza, aged 27 at the time of sentencing, was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2016 for his involvement in the distribution scheme that operated out of South Dakota. The conspiracy, which began in August 2015 and continued through April 2016, aimed to distribute between 350 and 500 grams of Schedule II controlled substance methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Mendoza traveled to South Dakota with associates to conduct drug deals. He admitted to selling meth to Kristina Lofton, who was later convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in and around Eagle Butte, South Dakota, and sentenced to prison herself in January 2017. Mendoza also confessed to providing others with distributable quantities of the drug for further distribution.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Narcotics Division collaborated to investigate this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan led the prosecution against Mendoza.

Upon completion of his sentence, Mendoza will be transferred into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, ensuring that he serves every day of the 110-month term for his role in one of the most significant methamphetamine distribution conspiracies to rock South Dakota.