Bay Area Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Stockton Drug Buy

Robert Godinez, 53, of Hayward, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd to 13 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine and heroin with the intent to distribute, and for using a cellphone to facilitate drug trafficking offenses, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, on Aug. 30, 2019, law enforcement officers pulled over Godinez on a traffic stop after he purchased methamphetamine and heroin from a drug dealer in Stockton. A search of Godinez’s vehicle resulted in the discovery of 2 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately a half pound of heroin. Additionally, during the prosecution of this case, Godinez submitted false declarations to the district court and lied to the assigned probation officer, resulting in the application of an obstruction of justice sentencing enhancement.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the San Joaquin County Probation Department, the Stockton Police Department, and the Tracy Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Lee and Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Sacramento comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Northern California High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Central Valley High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.