Sacramento Gang Member Sentenced to over 18 Years in Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Jose Miguel Hernandez, 27, of Sacramento, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins to 18 years and four months in prison for a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, Hernandez was a member of a violent Sacramento street gang that distributed massive amounts of lethal drugs in the Sacramento region during 2024. 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. During the conspiracy, Hernandez sold a total of 8 pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential source. Hernandez pleaded guilty on Sept. 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 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 Aug. 14, 2026.

The remaining defendants, Mulan Keophimanh, Tanya Lawson, and Guadalupe Cervantes, are scheduled for a status conference on June 5, 2026. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.