A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced June 27, 2012, to 10 years in federal prison.
Carlos Zamudio-Hernandez, 30, from Riverside, California, received the prison term after a February 7, 2012, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
At the guilty plea hearing, Zamudio-Hernandez admitted his involvement in a conspiracy from 2010 through December 2011 that distributed more than 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine. Zamudio-Hernandez admitted to transporting methamphetamine from California to Fort Dodge, Iowa on at least three occasions. On December 11, 2011, law enforcement officers conducted a controlled drug transaction in which a confidential informant purchased approximately 1/4 pound of methamphetamine from Zamudio-Hernandez and another co-conspirator. Later on the same date, Zamudio-Hernandez was arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, when $16,000 and a handgun were found in a hidden compartment of his truck.
Zamudio-Hernandez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. Zamudio-Hernandez was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $200 was imposed. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Zamudio-Hernandez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Omaha, Nebraska, Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
