A Kansas City, Missouri, man was sentenced Tuesday to 24 years and six months in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in Topeka, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Marco Antonio Cortes-Gomez, 42, Kansas City, Missouri, was found guilty in a jury trial on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that over a three-year period Cortes-Gomez distributed no less than 66 pounds of methamphetamine to buyers in Topeka.
The investigation began in 2015 when the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a car in Ellis County that was bound for Topeka carrying about five pounds of methamphetamine.
Investigators set up a controlled delivery at a Walmart parking lot in Topeka, where Cortes-Gomez was arrested when he attempted to pick up the load.
At trial, prosecutors presented testimony from witnesses who said Cortes-Gomez delivered one-pound and two-pound quantities of methamphetamine to them on a regular basis.
McAllister commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Topeka Police Department and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Skip Jacobs for their work on the case.