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Date: Sept. 1, 2026
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Council Bluffs, IA – A Mexican national and former California resident was sentenced on Aug. 27, 2026, to 13 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Jose Alfredo Moreno Hernandez conspired with other individuals to distribute methamphetamine. From December 2020 to the fall of 2025, Moreno Hernandez mailed packages containing a total of more than 35 pounds (16 kilograms) of methamphetamine to locations in Iowa and Florida. Moreno Hernandez received packages containing drug proceeds at his Delano, California residence and distributed the proceeds to other co-conspirators.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Moreno Hernandez will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. An immigration detainer is in place.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Investigation Service, Homeland Security Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force, and Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement – West investigated the case.
IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.