Former Lakewood Body Shop Owner Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Leadership Role in Meth Distribution Conspiracy

A 45-year-old Lakewood, Washington body shop owner was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to ten years in prison for his leadership role in a Mexico based drug trafficking organization.  JAMES E. ROBERTS, who owned ‘Restore and More’ body shop, distributed methamphetamine for a drug trafficking organization operated by Enrique Palomera, an extremely dangerous Mexican-based drug dealer.  Palomera remains in Mexico awaiting extradition.  At sentencing U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan imposed five years of supervised release to follow the prison term.

According to filings in the case, ROBERTS not only sold methamphetamine for the group, he supervised some of his employees who also sold meth.  Highlighting the danger of the meth ring, prosecutors noted that one of the co-conspirators is missing and presumed dead after a load was seized by law enforcement.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and the Lakewood Police Department, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michael Dion and Amy Jaquette.