Las Vegas man gets 16 years in prison for drug sales
A Las Vegas man previously convicted of several felony charges will spend 16 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, between Oct. 26, 2021, and Dec. 30, 2021, Dean Romero, 55, conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine. On Oct. 26, 2021, Romero sold 143.5 grams of methamphetamine, 7.9 grams of liquid fentanyl and a .22 caliber handgun in a store parking lot.
On Dec. 1, 2021, in the same parking lot, he sold 357 grams of methamphetamine and a 9mm pistol with no serial number. On Dec. 30, 2021, he sold 470.7 grams of methamphetamine and a privately made AR-15-style firearm equipped with an extended magazine and a silencer in a hotel casino parking lot.
Romero was not charged with the selling of the two firearms.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Romero to five years of supervised release, according to a Department of Justice news release.
Romero has been previously convicted of burglary, forgery, perjury, identity theft, possession or distribution of controlled substances and firearms offenses. He pleaded guilty on July 6, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
“This prosecution exemplifies our outstanding partnership with the FBI in removing dangerous individuals who sell drugs and firearms from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “Fentanyl and methamphetamine are deadly drugs that have taken too many lives. The two firearms sold did not have serial number markings which made them untraceable and even more dangerous for law enforcement.”
The effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force operation that identifies, disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at justice.gov/OCDETF.