Rogelio Lemus Hernandez, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Iowa 2021

Des Moines Man Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

A Des Moines man, Rogelio Lemus Hernandez, 21, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for his role in bringing methamphetamine from Mexico to Iowa.

According to a wiretap investigation, Hernandez was involved in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring operating out of Mexico, led by Mario Hernandez. The two arranged for the transportation of kilogram quantities of methamphetamine into Iowa.

In June 2020, law enforcement stopped a car occupied by Hernandez outside of Des Moines, Iowa. Inside the car, officers found nearly 5,000 grams of pure ‘ice’ methamphetamine. Hernandez and an associate had picked up the methamphetamine in Texas and drove it back to Iowa for redistribution.

Hernandez’s role in the group involved over 43,000 grams of methamphetamine. He was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams to 192 months’ imprisonment and a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Corkery as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The investigation involved a cooperative effort of the Mid-Iowa Task Force, Iowa National Guard and Counter Drug Program, Tri-County Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Hernandez’s sentence sends a strong message that those involved in methamphetamine trafficking will face severe consequences. The community can take comfort in knowing that law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle these types of operations.

For more information on this case, visit the court’s website and search for case file number 20-CR-2034.

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