Mexico Man Sentenced to More Than Ten Years for Conspiracy and Possession with Intent to Distribute Meth

MISSOULA – A federal judge sentenced Angel Iturbe-Gonzales, 37, of Mexico, to 151 months in federal prison, followed by five years supervised release for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  The sentences for both counts will run concurrently.  Chief U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen issued the sentence.

The indictment and eventual conviction that gave rise to the sentence was initiated by a traffic stop of Gonzales by the Montana Highway Patrol in Gallatin County in April of 2014.  During the stop, Gonzales consented to a dog being run around his vehicle.  The dog alerted for the presence of narcotics.  Two search warrants were obtained and a trap in the vehicle was discovered, which contained approximately 16 pounds of cocaine and more than four pounds each of methamphetamine and heroin.  Gonzales was indicted by a grand jury in September of 2014 and arrested in California in January of 2015.  He was convicted of both counts in April of 2015 following a jury trial in Butte, Montana.

“The Missouri River Drug Task Force, and similar task forces across the state expand the law enforcement resources that can be brought to bear against the scourge of meth in Montana,” said Montana U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter.  “Working together, law enforcement partners have more tools to bring to bear against the social and economic toll Meth takes here.  A sentence like this sends a pointed message to the criminals who come to this state with the goal of distributing poisonous wares; that such activity will not be tolerated in Montana.”

“HSI aggressively pursues international organized crime globally and here in Montana,” said David A. Thompson, special agent in charge of HSI Denver. “Bringing Gonzalez to justice to face a significant prison sentence was a collaborative partnership among HSI, the U.S. Attorney’s office, the Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Montana Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The strength of these law enforcement partnerships makes our communities safer for everyone.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Elliot prosecuted the case.  The Case was investigated by the Missouri River Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Montana Highway Patrol.  The defendant will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence before being released from federal prison.