Luis Alberto Hernandez-Barajas, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Iowa 2021

Related Federal Cases

Table of Contents

DAVENPORT, Iowa

Luis Alberto Hernandez-Barajas, a 42-year-old Moline, Illinois man and citizen of Mexico, has been sentenced to 188 months in prison for his role in a massive methamphetamine and heroin distribution operation in the Quad Cities.

According to court documents, Hernandez-Barajas supplied his co-defendant, Christopher Hicks, with six pounds of methamphetamine and half a pound of black tar heroin for distribution in the Quad Cities. The operation, which took place in the summer and fall of 2019, involved Hernandez-Barajas shipping hollowed-out candles filled with one pound of methamphetamine to Hicks.

In January 2020, Hernandez-Barajas supplied Hicks with black tar heroin for distribution. Despite being incarcerated in the federal prison on a prior drug trafficking conviction at the time of this offense, Hernandez-Barajas acquired a cell phone and communicated with Hicks to arrange for the shipments of these controlled substances.

Hernandez-Barajas pleaded guilty to the charge on July 14, 2021. He was ordered to serve five years of supervised release to follow his prison term and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group investigated the case.

Hernandez-Barajas’ sentence is a result of his brazen disregard for the law, despite being incarcerated on a prior conviction. His actions demonstrate the ongoing threat posed by individuals who seek to continue their illicit activities from behind bars.

The investigation and prosecution of cases like this one are crucial in disrupting and dismantling the networks of individuals who seek to traffic and distribute illicit substances. The Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group and the United States Attorney’s Office will continue to work together to bring those responsible to justice.

Luis Alberto Hernandez-Barajas, 42, of Moline, Illinois, was sentenced to 188 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.