Six men charged with Iowa and Minnesota meth conspiracy

SIOUX CITY – Six men are behind bars now, charged with a wide-ranging conspiracy to distribute meth between Minnesota and Iowa.

Rogelio Magana Garcia Jimenez, 44, from Worthington, MN; Saul Piceno Valtierra, 34, from Slayton, MN; Marcus Cervantes Martinez, 34, from Worthington, MN; Javier Martinez, 50, from Worthington, MN; Sergio Lopez-Granillo, 24, from Sioux Center, IA; and Daniel Perez Heredia, 28, from Worthington, MN, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.­ The charges are contained in a Complaint filed September 22, 2016, in United States District Court in Sioux City.

The Complaint alleges: (1) that, from October 2015, through September 2016, the six men conspired with each other and others to distribute methamphetamine to persons in Iowa and Minnesota; (2) those charged distributed methamphetamine which had been received from Iowa and other out of state sources; and (3) on or about September 20, 2016, over five pounds of methamphetamine was seized from a residence in Worthington, MN – associated with those charged.

If convicted, each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, $100 special assessment, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.­

Garcia Jimenez, Piceno Valtierra, Cervantes Martinez, Martinez, Lopez-Granillo, and Perez Heredia appeared October 4, 2016, in federal court in Sioux City and were held without bond. The next appearance for the men is trial scheduled for December 5, 2016.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement; Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; Buffalo Ridge Task Force; and Internal Revenue Service.