Man pulled over with 16 pounds of meth in Seward County is sent to prison

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A California man was sentenced Thursday for a drug bust in Seward County.

Valentin Mendoza Jr., 44, will spend five years and 10 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of a methamphetamine mixture.

Mendoza Valentin Jr.

In February 2023, a Seward County deputy pulled Mendoza over on Interstate 80 for traffic violations.

Mendoza told the deputy he was going from California to Minnesota but couldn’t remember which city, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The deputy got suspicious and asked if there were drugs in the vehicle.

Mendoza said no and let the deputy search the vehicle, according to authorities.

The deputy found 14 packages of meth hidden in the door panels. They weighed more than 16 pounds total, the sheriff’s office said.

After prison, Mendoza will spend four years on supervised release after prison.