POCATELLO – Gerardo Botello, 37, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill to 48 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Botello pleaded guilty to the charge on July 16, 2015.
According to the plea agreement and sentencing hearing, on May 23, 2011, an undercover officer met with Botello at his residence in Idaho Falls, Idaho. At that meeting, the undercover officer gave Botello $3200, in exchange for 53.7 grams of actual methamphetamine. At his arrest Botello was also found in possession of several firearms which were forfeited to the government as part of the plea and sentencing.
The case was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in conjunction with, U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bonneville Country Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the Idaho State Police. The case was prosecuted jointly by the attorneys from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Bonneville County Prosecutor’s Office.
The OCDETF program is a federal multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.