DES MOINES, Iowa — A Tulare, California, man received a life sentence in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Iowa. United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa says Brian Joaquin Alvarado, 40, led a drug trafficking organization that distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in the Des Moines area and transported firearms to California. Evidence showed Alvarado, while serving a prison sentence in California, orchestrated shipments with help from at least five co-defendants, including his son. In July 2025, a jury convicted Alvarado after a two-day trial. His co-defendants received various sentences: - Brian Crimson Alvarado, 20, was sentenced to 100 months - Jose Martine Alejo Galan, 29, to 15 years

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