Riverside Gangster Gomez Sentenced to 21 Years for Meth Smuggling

Lead defendant Timoteo Gomez, a Riverside County resident, has been sentenced to 252 months in federal prison for his role in a massive methamphetamine trafficking operation that stretched from Mexico into the Inland Empire.

The 51-year-old was sentenced by Judge Jesus G. Bernal following his January 2022 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute and possess meth with intent to distribute. Gomez has been in custody since his June 2021 arrest.

From April 2020 until August 2020, Gomez and associates purchased and distributed over 150 pounds of meth, a haul that included seizures of 46.6 pounds smuggled across the Calexico border and another 90.4 pounds attempted at the San Ysidro port of entry.

FBI’s Inland Empire Safe Streets Task Force, a joint federal and state gang task force, played a pivotal role in the investigation, assisted by various law enforcement agencies including the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Marshals Service.

The investigation aimed to dismantle the Casa Blanca Rifa criminal street gang’s operations, targeting drug trafficking and associated violence in the area. Assistant United States Attorney Eli A. Alcaraz prosecuted the case.

So far, 16 convictions have been secured in this high-profile case, demonstrating the federal government’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and its effects on local communities.