Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that George D. Licata, 44, of Vista, California, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska. United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Licata to 72 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine. After serving his sentence, Licata will be placed on supervised release for 4 years. There is no parole in the federal system.
On September 16, 2020, a Merrick County Sheriff’s deputy stopped Licata for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop, Licata provided consent to search his vehicle. The deputy located several syringes in the trunk of the vehicle and 6 glass methamphetamine pipes in a box. Under the air filter in the engine compartment, the deputy found a plastic bag containing a white crystal substance that appeared to be methamphetamine. The substance was sent to a lab for testing, and the lab determined that there was 107 grams of methamphetamine, of which at least 96 grams were pure.
This case was investigated by the Merrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Tri-Cities Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT).