Sioux City, Iowa — A California man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Sioux County was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Sioux City.
According to federal prosecutors, 27-year-old Gabriel Mata-Becerra pled guilty in September to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Authorities say during the plea hearing, Mata-Becerra admitted that he and others had an agreement to distribute more than 50 grams of meth.
According to prosecutors, Mata-Becerra was stopped in Wyoming in April of 2019, where law enforcement seized approximately 10 pounds of meth from inside an unconnected speaker box in the trunk of his car. Mata-Becerra reportedly admitted that he had acquired the drugs in California and was travelling from California to Hawarden, Iowa to deliver the narcotics to another person.
On Tuesday, Mata-Becerra was sentenced to 51 months in a federal prison, along with 3-years of supervised probation following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mata-Becerra is being held in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.
