The Antelope Valley Times

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Palmdale man gets 5+ years for transporting meth to Nebraska

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Jose Garcia (Booking photo courtesy Lincoln Journal Star via Lancaster County Corrections Department.)
Jose Garcia (Booking photo courtesy Lincoln Journal Star via Lancaster County Corrections Department.)

LINCOLN – A 26-year-old Palmdale truck driver has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for transporting methamphetamine to Nebraska, authorities said.

Jose Antonio Garcia brought 6.25 pounds of methamphetamine from California to Lincoln this past April and was busted after authorities found the drugs hidden in an air compressor, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska. Read it below:

On Nov. 12, 2014, Jose Antonio Garcia, 26, of Palmdale, California, was sentenced to five years and 10 months (70 months) in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Garcia was ordered to serve three years on supervised release following the prison term. As part of his plea agreement, Garcia also agreed to forfeit any interest he had in a 2009 Freightliner semi-tractor.

In April of 2014, Garcia, a truck driver, agreed to transport a quantity of methamphetamine to Lincoln.

On the evening of April 21, 2014, officers were conducting surveillance in the area of a motel near the Lincoln airport. Officers saw Garcia’s truck arrive at a location near the motel. They also saw a car which had been parked at the motel arrive at the same location. Persons were seen going back and forth between the truck and the car. The car then returned to the motel, and Garcia’s truck headed eastbound on Interstate 80.

Garcia was contacted at the Ashland/Waverly scales on eastbound I-80. He admitted he had just delivered an air compressor which he believed contained money or drugs or both. Garcia said he had dropped off a different air compressor in Lincoln two days earlier, but was later told he had delivered the wrong one.

As a result, Garcia said he returned to Lincoln on the evening of April 21, 2014, and delivered a second air compressor. He said he expected to be paid $5000 to $6000 for making the trip from California.

In the early morning hours of April 22, 2014, officers executed a search warrant on the Lincoln motel room. Three individuals were found in the room along with an air compressor containing approximately 6 ¼ pounds or 2.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force with assistance from Nebraska State Patrol Carrier Enforcement officers.

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

12 comments for "Palmdale man gets 5+ years for transporting meth to Nebraska"

  3. The article says, “Garcia also agreed to forfeit any interest he had in a 2009 Freightliner semi-tractor.” I don’t know what that means. Were the arresting officers Lincoln police officers, and does the city of Lincoln make money from Garcia’s interest in the truck? Does Garcia’s interest in the truck go to the Feds? Does a bank get the money Garcia may have paid into the truck.

    AV Times Staff wrote the article. Maybe they can fill in more info, or maybe no one else is interested.

    • A lot of states maintain that if they catch you dealing/transporting drugs, they have rights to your property that was purchased/financed through drug money. Your home, your vehicles, whatever. The department will either utilize the material or sell it for their budget.

    • That’s 500 GRAMS to convict, we’re talking 6.25 POUNDS! There’s 7000 Grams to a pound. That’s 43,750 Grams. AV you must have gone to AV.

          • It’s obvious you are making fun of LATINOS and are not even Latin since you don’t know how to spell ORALE…Joe!
            What ever race he is, he is stupid for ever transporting drugs!
            The kind of money he was getting for doing it maybe looked like a easy, tax free payday, another idiot out to make an easy buck!
            When is anybody going to learn drugs hurt everyone in one way or another?
            Who the heck cares what the conversion of LBS v GRAMS are anyway?
            Dude is going to Jail, and someone is going to have to pay for the drugs that got confiscated, so one way or another someone Is going to get worse then Prison.