SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Emilio Marquez Barba, 39, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley to 17 and a half years in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Barba was the leader and organizer of an attempted deal to sell 15 pounds worth of methamphetamine for $210,000 to undercover agents. When agents executed a search warrant on Barba’s residence, they found additional methamphetamine, cocaine packaged for distribution, marijuana, and a pipe bomb. Other weapons were found in connection with the co-conspirators. On July 20, 2017, Barba pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
This case is the product of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Mountain and Valley Marijuana Investigation Team (MAVMIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd A. Pickles is prosecuting the case.
Barba’s three co-defendants pleaded guilty in this case. Gabriel Vargas-Guerrero was sentenced to seven years in prison, Mario Lopez-Ayala was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, and Jose Jaime Diaz is set for sentencing on December 7, 2017, at 9:30 a.m.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
