Alejandro Gallegos, 42, from Hacienda Heights, California, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization operating in the Charleston area. Following his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release. Gallegos admitted to conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine and cocaine.
Court documents reveal that between February 2021 and March 2023, Gallegos collaborated with others to distribute these substances within the Southern District of West Virginia. On March 18, 2023, he instructed co-defendant Ildiberto Gonzalez Jr. to transport approximately 196 pounds of methamphetamine and four kilograms of cocaine from California to Bluefield, West Virginia.
Gonzalez Jr., aged 31 from San Bernardino, California, was sentenced on July 22, 2024, to a 14-year prison term followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges related to methamphetamine distribution.
Both individuals were part of Operation Smoke and Mirrors which led to the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia’s history. The operation resulted in the conviction of 31 individuals and the seizure of over 400 pounds of methamphetamine along with other drugs and firearms.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston stated: “No defendant sentenced in the Southern District of West Virginia has been responsible for the amount of methamphetamine attributable to this defendant.” She emphasized that Gallegos directed drug shipments from Mexico knowing their impact on local communities.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI, DEA, HSI among others. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe under Judge Thomas E. Johnston’s oversight.
This investigation is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative aimed at dismantling major drug trafficking organizations threatening public safety and national security.
