Belarmino Sierra-Mata, a 47-year-old resident of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to five years in federal prison with an additional three years of supervised release. This follows his guilty plea for charges of attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and reentry of a removed alien.
Court documents revealed that on March 18, 2024, Sierra-Mata traveled to his girlfriend's home in Indianapolis to collect a package from California. The shipment contained approximately 1.8 kilograms of pure methamphetamine. Sierra-Mata then delivered the drugs to another person, receiving $300 from the original supplier in Mexico before his arrest.
Sierra-Mata admitted during law enforcement questioning that this incident marked his second participation in accepting drug packages for compensation. Further investigation established that he was unlawfully present in the U.S. after formal removal on January 11, 2019, and reentering without proper documentation.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Indiana State Police, while U.S. District Judge Sarah Evans Barker imposed the sentence. John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, remarked, “Criminal aliens that habitually cross into our country illegally and endanger our communities must face consequences.” He affirmed a joint commitment to preventing drug flow and prosecuting offenders thoroughly.
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Caraballo-Colon and former AUSA Jordan Oliver. This case is a segment of Operation Take Back America, an initiative harnessing the Department of Justice's resources to combat illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.