Moving meth and guns all the way from California to Iowa sounds like a plot twist straight out of a crime movie, but this was reality for Brian Joaquin Alvarado. Surprisingly, he pulled off this huge operation while in prison!
This past Tuesday, a federal judge emphasized that the 40-year-old will spend the rest of his life incarcerated after being sentenced as the mastermind behind this illegal enterprise.
His sentencing marks the end of a major investigation uncovering a drug pipeline to Des Moines and a channel for weapons back to California.
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During his trial in July, proof was laid out showing that while Alvarado was behind bars, he was orchestrating logistics with at least five people outside. The jury declared him guilty of conspiracy as the primary leader directing the influx of methamphetamine into Iowa.
But here’s the kicker — this operation was very much a family business. Alvarado involved his own son, 18-year-old Brian Crimson Alvarado, in the trafficking efforts. Following these events, the younger Alvarado received a 100-month sentence just a few months earlier on November 5.
U.S. Attorney David C. Waterman announced the sentencing after a joint investigation led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Iowa’s Department of Public Safety’s Narcotics Enforcement Division.
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As for those in Alvarado’s charges, many also managed to land serious prison time over the past year:
- Linda Roseanne Gonzalez Gayton, 37, was sentenced to 30 years in August.
- Jose Martine Alejo Galan, 29, and Gregory Paul Shiner, 25, each received 15-year sentences.
- Kassianne Kay Timm, 30, got a sentence of time already served by late 2024.
The majority of those involved—except Timm—will face supervised release for several years when their time is up. However, for the older Alvarado, the chance of parole is nearly non-existent, as federal prisoners generally aren’t granted parole.
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