A man from Tulare, California has been sentenced to life in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Brian Joaquin Alvarado, 40, was identified as the leader of a drug trafficking group that sold significant amounts of methamphetamine in the Des Moines area and moved firearms to California.
According to court records and evidence presented during the trial, Alvarado coordinated shipments of drugs and firearms while serving a prison sentence in California. He organized these activities with help from at least five co-defendants, one of whom was his then 18-year-old son. In July 2025, after a two-day trial, a jury found Alvarado guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
The sentences for the co-defendants are as follows:
• Brian Crimson Alvarado, 20, received 100 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release on November 5, 2025.
• Jose Martine Alejo Galan, 29, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release on February 27, 2025.
• Linda Roseanne Gonzalez Gayton, 37, received a sentence of 30 years in federal prison with five years of supervised release on August 28, 2025.
• Gregory Paul Shiner, 25, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release on November 21, 2025.
• Kassianne Kay Timm, 30, was given a time-served sentence followed by three years of supervised release on December 18, 2024.
There is no parole available under the federal system.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman for the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentencing. The case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Public Safety – Division of Narcotics Enforcement and United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Jon Holscher prosecuted the case.
