CEDAR RAPIDS – A man responsible for running a complex drug trafficking organization was sentenced May 17, 2019, to more than 14 years in federal prison.
Michael Pineda, age 34, from San Ysidro, California, received the prison term after an August 6, 2018, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Evidence during the case established that Pineda served as a source of ice methamphetamine for numerous individuals. Pineda shipped the methamphetamine to Iowa from California, typically concealed in car stereo boxes. Once the methamphetamine arrived in Iowa, Pineda relied on various individuals to pick it up, repackage it, distribute it, and later collect money from its sale.
In order to conceal the money from the drug sales, Pineda directed others in the conspiracy, including his wife, to open bank accounts under fictitious business names. He then instructed his drug customers to deposit drug proceeds into these bank accounts. In less than two years, Pineda laundered more than $370,000 of drug money through these accounts. He also instructed other individuals to cash from the sales to California. One such individual was intercepted at the San Diego Airport carrying approximately $35,000 in drug proceeds.
Pineda was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Pineda was sentenced to 175 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Pineda 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 Lisa C. Williams 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force (Waterloo Police Department; Cedar Falls Police Department; Waverly Police Department; Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office; LaPorte City Police Department; Evansdale Police Department; Hudson Police Department).
There this idiot goes again with his “Ice methamphetamine” just say meth, methamphetamine, ice, or crystal. You sound like such a moron when you type out “ice methamphetamine” what are you 65? You’re out of touch and can’t use common terms for far too common of a thing? Nerd. I bet you got beat up and spit on in highschool huh?
To the obviously racist African American comment or. What’s wrong with you? Have you actually heard any white person speak that way ever at all around here? Don’t be so jealous that we can speak fluently and correctly with articulation announciation and pronunciation. We are just better than black men. Black men can’t speak real English, you all speak mush mouth and slang and nobody understands half the crap you try to say. Ya people are.mad and you should be too because people who sell meth deserve to be skinned alive same as heroin dealer’s. You disagree as I’m sure your whole family is involved in local crime drug crime and violent crime, all of you section 8 losers are. But those of us who care about things and have people to protect don’t like you, we would rather board your houses and burn your families alive then tolerate what you’re doing to our neighborhoods our community and our citizen’s. Ya people are.mad because this pos isn’t getting more time. It’s not a race thing though. It’s this crazy idea we have that our friends our sisters our girlfriends and our wives as well as our kids and elderly shouldn’t have to be afraid to go out at night because the drug dealers have changed this town so much since section 8 started. There are lots more violent and criminal elements since black came to sell dope and start creating violent situations and shooting and stabbing each other. You’re a cancer on society’s tit and yet you sit around insulting white people like somehow we are worse than you people? We build and you destroy been that way for generations. You’re really pathetic loser’s.
A FRIEND OF MINE HAS AN 18 YEAR OLD SON NAMED LEROY. HE ATTENDS OAKLAND HIGH SCHOOL WHERE THEY TEACH EBONICS AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. LAST WEEK HE WAS GIVEN AN EASY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT. ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS PUT EACH OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS IN A SENTENCE. THIS IS WHAT LEROY DID.
1. RECTUM: I HAD TWO CADILLACS, BUT MY OL’LADY RECTUM BOTH.
2. HOTEL: I GAVE MY GIRLFRIEND DA CRABS AND THE HOTEL EVERYBODY.
3. ODYSSEY: I TOLD MY BRO, YOU ODYSSEY THE JUGS ON THIS HOE.
4. STAIN: MY MOTHER-IN-LAW AXED IF I WAS STAIN FOR DINNER AGAIN.
5. SELDOM: MY COUSIN GAVE ME TWO TICKETS TO THE KNICKS GAME, SO I SELDOM.
6. PENIS: I WENT TO DA DOCTOR AND HE HANDED ME A CUP AND SAID PENIS.
7. CATACOMB: DON KING WAS AT THE FIGHT THE OTHER NIGHT, MAN, SOMEBODY GIVE THAT CATACOMB.
8. FORCLOSE: IF I PAY ALIMONY THIS MONTH, I’LL HAVE NO MONEY FORCLOSE.
9. UNDERMINE: THERE IS A FINE LOOKIN’ HOE LIVIN’ IN THE APARTMENT UNDERMINE.
10. TRIPOLI: I WAS GONNA BUY MY OLD LADY A BRA BUT I COULDN’T FINE NO TRIPOLI.
12. DISAPPOINTMENT: MY PAROLE OFFICER TOL ME IF I MISS DISAPPOINTMENT THEY GONNA SEND ME BACK TO THE BIG HOUSE.
13. INCOME: I JUST GOT IN BED WIT DEE HOE AND INCOME MY WIFE.
14. HONOR: AT THE RAPE TRIAL, THE JUDGE AXED MY BUDDY, WHO B HONOR FIRST?
15. FORTIFY: I AXED DA HOE HOW MUCH? AND SHE SAY FORTIFY.
16. ISRAEL: ALONSO TRIED TO SELL ME A ROLEX, I SAID MAN, THAT LOOKS FAKE. HE SAID, NO ISRAEL.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, LEROY GOT AN A.
Typical racist white trash in iowa shooting off his mouth he could never back up outside his computer and you know it’s true.
By the way meth is a white people drug.
Bull Shit. All ILLEGAL DRUGS are Black people’s dtrugs.
Dur Dur git r dun and deeport him as I’m madder den a humdinger a brown boy walks fer free.
Is this the new math? I don’t condone what this POS was doing, in fact, I think he should be hung for doing it. But I don’t think that 500 grams equals 50 lbs. Maybe it’s just stated that way for sensationalism.
He got caught with 500 grams..but had shipped 50 lbs. comprenda?
I guess that’s possible, thanks for the clarification. By the way, what does “comprenda” mean?
20 years of forced harsh labor then deport.
Just deport, don’t waste money on prison, shoot him as he reaches the border.
And you are another person who holds disdain for our Constitution? What happened to Due Process of Law, and Equal Protection?
Also, do you think killing people is acceptable in our society? In God’s eyes?
It’s not like you are shooting a real person.
And, I don’t need a lecture from a baby killer.
yes – kill him!