Mexican Citizen Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Conspiracy

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Jean Ferrer Leyva-Pazos, 21, of Sinaloa, Mexico, was sentenced March 1, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Leyva-Pazos to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Leyva-Pazos’ release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.

Operating from at least June 2021 until October 2022, Leyva-Pazos and others were responsible for trafficking meth into the state. Officers from a variety of local, state, and federal agencies pieced the conspiracy together using electronic evidence, surveillance, and search warrants.

Together, the conspirators distributed over 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing meth. On February 23, 2022, officers obtained a search warrant for a residence in Lexington, Nebraska, where the defendant and additional co-conspirators were staying. Leyva-Pazos was found in the basement of the residence with a duffle bag containing nearly eleven ounces of meth, items consistent with narcotic packaging, and over two thousand dollars. Searches at additional locations in the Lexington area netted additional meth and currency from other co-defendants. 

This case was investigated by the CODE Drug Task Force, Lexington Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, the Nebraska State Patrol,   the Federal Bureau of Investigation.