Vallene Marie Bell, 35, of Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced on July 9 in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Bell to 168 months’ imprisonment and a five-year term of supervised release following her prison sentence. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that the case involved a Mexico-based supplier who provided methamphetamine to the Omaha and Council Bluffs areas through a local network of couriers. Customers ordered drugs from the source and received them via couriers operating in Nebraska and Iowa.
According to court records, law enforcement observed Bell and co-defendant Michelle Renee Horton meet with Emerson Reyes-Andrade at an Omaha location on September 9, 2024. Officers believed they witnessed a drug transaction. After traveling into Iowa, their vehicle was stopped by Iowa State Troopers who deployed a canine unit; Horton consented to the search, which led officers to seize one pound of methamphetamine from inside the vehicle.
Horton was previously sentenced to 84 months’ imprisonment on May 19; Reyes-Andrade received a sentence of 120 months on July 2.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The initiative involves interagency collaboration among several agencies including HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, USPIS, IRS-Criminal Investigation Division and local law enforcement with prosecutions led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska advances community well-being through coordinated law enforcement efforts that safeguard residents; uses facilities in both Omaha and Lincoln; serves as part of the Department of Justice; prosecutes federal crimes and handles civil cases for the government; serves all residents statewide; and collaborates with various agencies to enhance public safety, according to the official website.