Man sentenced on meth, weapons charges

A Rexburg man will spend 12 years behind bars on meth and weapons charges.

Noe Munguia-Diaz, also known as Juan Ernesto Medina-Munguia, was sentenced to prison in U.S. District Court in Pocatello on Tuesday. His prison sentence will be followed by four years of supervised release. In addition, Terry J. Hatter, Jr., senior U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California, also ordered Munguia-Diaz to pay a $900 special assessment and to forfeit the illegal firearms.

In September, Hatter had found Munguia-Diaz guilty of six counts of distributing methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of unlawfully possessing firearms.

During the two-day trial, Hatter heard evidence that Munguia-Diaz sold methamphetamine on six occasions between March 2011 and October 2012. During one of the sales, Munguia-Diaz also sold a handgun.

Munguia-Diaz was arrested in a routine traffic stop in Rexburg in March 2013. Police found he and his passenger had more than $4,500 and evidence he had deposited $15,000 between two different banks. They also found a loaded handgun.

Later than night, officers searching on a warrant recovered about 1 ounce of methamphetamine from a heating vent in Mungua-Diaz’s bedroom. Munguia-Diaz admitted to officers that he had methamphetamine in his house and that the firearm in the car belonged to him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

The case was investigated by various federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.