U.S. Attorney's Office
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Socorro Alejandres Alvarez, 32, of Mexico, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for distribution of 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Alvarez to 180 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, he will begin a 10-year term of supervised release.
On June 24, 2020, while incarcerated in the Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton, Oklahoma, Alvarez used an illicit cell phone to contact Rosalio Reynosao Arrellano in Los Angeles, California, to arrange for a package of methamphetamine to be delivered to Nebraska. Law enforcement intercepted the package, and it contained 420 grams of actual methamphetamine. Alvarez had made prior shipments of methamphetamine to Nebraska while incarcerated. These shipments were sent to Shannon Rojas, Shane Lawrence, and Jeremiah Schnoor.
Shannon Rojas was sentenced to 70 months’ incarceration on May 27, 2022, for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Shane Lawrence was sentenced to 198 months’ incarceration on February 11, 2022, for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. On February 15, 2023, Jeremiah Schnoor entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 18, 2023.
This case was investigated by the WING (Western Nebraska Intelligence Narcotics Group), which is made up of the Nebraska State Patrol, Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office, Scottsbluff Police Department, and the Sidney Police Department. Kearney Police Department was also involved in this investigation as was the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force (CNDSSTF). CNDSSTF consists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nebraska State Patrol.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.