Four Individuals Involved In O’Brien County Meth Conspiracy Sentenced to Federal Prison

On January 25, 2016, the last of two men and two women who conspired together to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced to federal prison.

Isaac Esquivel, 37, from Sanborn, Iowa; Mackenzie Jellema, 31, from Sioux City, Iowa; Joe Leal, 49, from Hartley, Iowa; and Valerie Ortega, 30, from Sanborn, Iowa, each received prison terms after guilty pleas to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

At the guilty pleas, each admitted their involvement in a conspiracy that distributed more than 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine in the O’Brien County, Iowa area.  In total, law enforcement made undercover purchases and seizures from the group totaling 271.78 grams of methamphetamine.     

Ortega and Esquivel were sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Donald E. O’Brien, and Leal and Jellema were sentenced by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett.  Esquivel was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment and a term of supervised release of two years.  Jellema was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment; Leal was sentenced to 81 months’ imprisonment and Ortega was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment.  A special assessment of $100 was imposed for each.  Jellema, Leal and Ortega must each also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, Spencer Iowa Police Department, Clay County Iowa Sheriff’s Office, O’Brien County Iowa Sheriff’s Office, Sheldon Iowa Police Department, Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force.    

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 14-4052.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.