Jose Miguel Hernandez, a 27-year-old resident of Sacramento, was sentenced on May 8 to 18 years and four months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins, according to U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
Hernandez admitted as part of his guilty plea that he was a member of a violent Sacramento street gang responsible for distributing large amounts of drugs in the region during 2024. Court documents show that between January 26, 2023, and May 10, 2024, Hernandez conspired with other gang members and sold eight pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential source. He pleaded guilty on September 9, 2025.
The investigation into the case involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sacramento Police Department, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department, and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hitt is prosecuting the case.
Other individuals involved in this case have also faced sentencing: Johnny Bobby Truong received a sentence of nineteen years in prison while Michael Hutchison received fifteen years. Another defendant, Julio Sarabia, has pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on August 14. Three remaining defendants—Mulan Keophimanh, Tanya Lawson, and Guadalupe Cervantes—are set for a status conference on June 5; they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California represents the federal government in all litigation within its jurisdiction—including prosecutions of federal crimes—and operates offices in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield while serving more than eighty-seven thousand square miles across thirty-four counties according to the official website.
