Mexican national gets 11 for meth and immigration offenses

Kristen Harrison-Oneal

CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that Joel Gonzalez-Gomez, 31, of Chipas, Mexico, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and illegal reentry of a removed alien.

“Five prior removals. More than a kilo of meth. 12 grams of fentanyl. 28 grams of cocaine. 3 guns,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “Gonzalez-Gomez had come into our country illegally and continued to break our laws by peddling poison.  He will now have more than 11 years in federal prison to think about the error of his ways.”

In July 2019, drug task force investigators began purchasing methamphetamine from individuals associated with Gonzalez-Gomez at various locations in Kanawha County.  The investigation culminated in the execution of a search warrant at the residence of Gonzalez-Gomez on Church Drive in Charleston on November 20, 2019.  Investigators seized more than a kilogram of methamphetamine, 12 grams of fentanyl, 28 grams of cocaine, and three firearms.  Gonzalez-Gomez was arrested the same day at a residence in Cottageville, Jackson County.  He had previously been deported on November 6, 2013, October 28, 2015, December 15, 2015, December 7, 2016, and March 27, 2018.

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua C. Hanks handled the prosecution.


A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-00157.


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