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(Undated) -- A Des Moines man connected to a large drug ring, has been sentenced to 16-years in prison. Twenty-one-year-old Rogelio Lemus Hernandez pleaded guilty to drug charges in May. Investigators say he was tied to a large-scale meth trafficking ring out of Mexico, and worked with others to bring meth into the state of Iowa.
Investigators looking into a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring operating out of Mexico determined the head of the organization, Mario Hernandez, was based in Mexico and worked with others, included Lemus Hernandez, to transport kilogram quantities of methamphetamine into Iowa.
Lemus Hernandez was intercepted on a wiretap investigation speaking with Mario Hernandez. The two arranged for the transportation of methamphetamine into Iowa. In June 2020, law enforcement stopped a car occupied by Lemus Hernandez near Des Moines. In the car, officers found nearly 5,000 grams of pure “ice” methamphetamine.
Investigators determined Lemus Hernandez and an associate picked up the methamphetamine in Texas and drove it back to Iowa. Lemus Hernandez’s role in the group involved over 43,000 grams of methamphetamine.
Lemus Hernandez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Lemus Hernandez was sentenced to 192 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.