Lancaster Man Sentenced to 21 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking

A 43-year-old Lancaster man has been sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking operation.

Jose Nunez, of Lancaster, California, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on [date].

According to court documents, Nunez worked for a Mexico-based drug-trafficking ring that imported large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl into the United States.

Nunez served as a ‘stash house’ operator for the drug ring, maintaining the organization’s drugs in the United States and distributing them to others who resold them.

He was also involved in establishing and operating a methamphetamine conversion laboratory, where he and others converted liquid methamphetamine to crystal methamphetamine.

As part of the operation, Nunez and his co-conspirators smuggled methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl in portable projectors and batteries, under the guise of a legitimate transportation business.

Law enforcement seized over 12,900 pounds of methamphetamine, 50 pounds of fentanyl mixture, 39 pounds of cocaine, and 22 pounds of heroin during the investigation.

Nunez was found to be responsible for distributing 3,500 pounds of methamphetamine.

The case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office’s Inland Regional Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Los Angeles Strike Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Cody S. Chapple are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.

The case is also part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high-impact areas.

Nunez’s sentence is a result of his involvement in the ‘Toxic Waste’ operation, which was dismantled in June 2024.

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