Mason Earl Gonzales Gets 7 Years for Meth Sting

Mason Earl Gonzales, a 28-year-old from Pasadena, Texas, is headed to federal prison for seven years and three months after attempting to retrieve over 270 grams of high-purity methamphetamine in Boone County, West Virginia. The deal went sideways — not because the drugs were missing, but because law enforcement had already swapped them out for a fake. Gonzales didn’t know he was walking into a trap set by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT).

On June 13, 2016, Gonzales traveled with a confidential source linked to MDENT to the Boone Motor Inn, where he searched behind the building for a buried stash of meth. He failed to find it that night but admitted he planned to return. The next day, MDENT located the real drugs — weighing more than 270 grams and testing at over 97% purity — dug them up, and replaced them with a lookalike substance. A surveillance camera was installed to catch whoever came looking.

Gonzales did exactly that. That evening, he returned to the site, found the bag with the fake meth, and believed he’d scored a major haul. But minutes later, MDENT pulled him over. During questioning, he admitted he came to retrieve what he believed was real methamphetamine and intended to distribute it. The bust was clean, the confession solid, and the evidence locked down.

He later pleaded guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a charge that carried serious federal weight. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman prosecuted the case, laying out a timeline that showed premeditation and criminal intent. The defense offered no excuses — just a plea.

U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin handed down the 87-month sentence in Charleston, W.Va., sending a clear message: the Southern District of West Virginia isn’t tolerating drug trafficking stunts, especially those involving bulk quantities of high-grade meth. The case falls under a broader crackdown led by U.S. Attorney Carol Casto’s office targeting pill mills, street-level dealers, and outside traffickers trying to flood local communities.

This conviction is part of an ongoing federal push, combining forces with local and state agencies to dismantle drug networks operating in Appalachia. With methamphetamine fueling addiction and crime across the region, operations like this sting at the Boone Motor Inn are becoming a blueprint for disruption — and for putting traffickers like Mason Earl Gonzales behind bars for years.