Three of 20 Defendants Sentenced in Meth Distribution Ring
Thirteen Defendants Still Await Sentencing
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 15, 2014 |
BOISE—Kenneth Jones, 47, of Rio Linda, California; Robbie Gallegos, 43, of Boise, Idaho; and Heidi Aguila, 34, of Nampa, Idaho, were sentenced this week in federal court for their roles in a large-scale methamphetamine distribution ring, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. The defendants appeared before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Boise.
Jones, one of the leader/organizers of the distribution cell, was sentenced today to 130 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Gallegos was sentenced on Monday to 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for use of a communication device in committing a drug trafficking offense. Aguila, a lower level distributor, was sentenced on Monday to 24 months of probation for possession of a controlled substance.
Two co-defendants pleaded guilty yesterday to related drug charges. Henry Horne, 66, of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance; he is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2014. Seanna Holmberg, 27, of Caldwell, Idaho, pleaded guilty to using a communication facility to commit a drug offense. She will be sentenced on April 8.
According to court proceedings, the conspiracy involved two distribution cells in the Treasure Valley; one led by Jason Holmberg, the other by Andrew Polney. Jones supplied multiple pound shipments of methamphetamine for transport to the Treasure Valley for distribution by Gallegos and Aguila, among others. The group operated from about June 2012 through the time of their arrests on April 18, 2013.
In addition to those who appeared in court this week, of the 20 defendants charged, three others have been sentenced, and 11 have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced between January 27 and February 25, 2014. One remaining defendant, Lena Kettle, is scheduled for trial on March 11, 2014.
The indictment is the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Drug Enforcement Administration in conjunction with the Nampa Police Department and Boise Police Department. Other federal agencies participating in the OCDETF program include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Bureau of Land Management; Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; and U.S. Marshals Service.
The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.