Southern California man sentenced to 21 years for smuggling drugs from Mexico

Posted: May 6, 2024 / 08:28 PM PDT

Updated: May 6, 2024 / 10:14 PM PDT

The US Department of Justice says a man from Riverside County has been sentenced to 21 years after trafficking pounds of methamphetamine from Mexico into the Inland Empire.

Authorities say 51-year-old Timoteo Gomez was given his sentence Monday after being held in federal custody since his June 2021 arrest.  Gomez pleaded guilty in January 2022 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Federal investigators found that Gomez and others purchased methamphetamine from their suppliers in Mexico as well as in Los Angeles and Riverside counties from April to August of 2020.

The DOJ says Gomez and his co-conspirators smuggled roughly 45 pounds of methamphetamine from Mexico into the U.S. from the Calexico port of entry and into Riverside County.

In May 2020, another co-conspirator attempted to drive a load of a little more than 90 pounds of drugs into the United States from Mexico through the San Ysidro port of entry.

Authorities charged 19 people in connection with the smuggling ring.

In total, the DOJ says federal law enforcement seized 150 pounds of methamphetamine and $31,035 in cash during this investigation.