SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The United States Department of Justice says a Sacramento man was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison on Friday for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine as part of a violent street gang operation.
27-year-old Jose Miguel Hernandez of Sacramento was handed down the sentence by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins.
The Department of Justice says that as part of his guilty plea, Hernandez admitted to conspiring with other gang members to distribute methamphetamine in Sacramento between Jan. 26, 2023, and May 10, 2024.
Court documents show Hernandez was a member of a violent Sacramento street gang that distributed large amounts of narcotics in the Sacramento region during 2024.
During the conspiracy, Hernandez sold a total of 8 pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential source. He pleaded guilty on September 9, 2025.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sacramento Police Department, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hitt is prosecuting the case.
The court has previously sentenced co-defendants Johnny Bobby Truong to 19 years in prison and Michael Hutchison to 15 years in prison.
Defendant Julio Sarabia pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2026.
The remaining defendants in the case, Mulan Keophimanh, Tanya Lawson and Guadalupe Cervantes, are scheduled for return to court for a status conference on June 5, 2026.
The Department of Justice says that the charges against them are only allegations at this time, for the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Authorities say the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel illegal immigration, achieve the elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect communities from violent crime.