A California man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering conspiracy. Francisco Murillo, 31, from San Bernardino, entered a guilty plea on December 20, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The case evidence revealed that Murillo was part of a large drug trafficking organization that transported methamphetamine from California to Iowa using the United States Postal Service. Packages containing methamphetamine were sent to various addresses in Cedar Rapids by Murillo and others. The cash proceeds from the sale of these drugs were then sent back to California using packages with fake names and return addresses.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Murillo in Cedar Rapids to 360 months’ imprisonment followed by a five-year supervised release term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Murillo remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transferred to a federal prison.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep prosecuted the case, which was investigated by multiple agencies including the United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force. This task force includes members from several law enforcement agencies such as the Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Cedar Rapids Police Department.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through a coordinated multi-agency approach. More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
