Idaho Falls woman sentenced for possession with intent to distribute 11,000 fentanyl pills

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – A 42-year-old Idaho Falls woman was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced Tuesday. 

In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford ordered Patricia Gomez serve three years of supervised release after her term of incarceration.

According to court records, Gomez conspired with four codefendants to distribute fentanyl. Three of the co defendants, 34-year-old Juan Villa, 37-year-old Tyson Mitchell and 34-year-old Kevin Sermon, were incarcerated for prior drug crimes during the conspiracy. Villa had been arrested after bringing 20,000 fentanyl pills into Idaho. Villa, Mitchell and Sermon recruited Gomez and 37-year-old Summer Jones of Idaho Falls to receive drugs from a California based source of supply and  transport the drugs to Idaho for further distribution.

Around May 29, 2023, Gomez traveled outside of Idaho to obtain a drug load in furtherance of the conspiracy. On May 30, 2023, Gomez returned to Idaho. Investigators stopped her vehicle and arrested her with 11,000 fentanyl pills.

Villa, Mitchell, Sermon and Jones have all pleaded guilty to federal drug crimes and are awaiting sentencing in April and May.

U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the cooperative efforts of the Idaho Falls Police Department, the Idaho State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Administration for their work on these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Atwood and Francis Zebari prosecuted these cases.