Pasco man who had been deported 3 times sentenced to 10 years in prison

A Pasco man who had previously been deported from the United States has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after making a deal to sell $60,000 of methamphetamine to a person who turned out to be a confidential informant.

Jesus Birrueta-Mendoza, 27, was deported to Mexico three times since 2018, according to a court document. The document described his previous criminal history as “minimal,” but did not provide details.

He arranged to provide a sample of methamphatine to the confidential informant for federal officers, and then struck a deal to sell the informant 50 pounds of meth for $60,000.

They met in the parking lot of Bi-Mart in Sunnyside, with federal agents watching, on the afternoon of Jan. 17, 2024, according to a court document.

Birrueta-Mendoza directed the confidential informant to look at a bag in his back seat, but told the informant he had only brought 25 pounds.

After Birrueta-Mendoza was arrested in the parking lot, he told Homeland Security Investigations agents that he had been paid $500 to make a delivery, but did not know what was inside the bag.

He later admitted intending to sell methamphetamine and pleaded guilty.

He signed a court document before sentencing, acknowledging that a federal crime could lead to deportation, but that would be the subject of separate court proceedings.

He was sentenced this week in the Yakima U.S. Courthouse by Judge Stanley Bastian to 10 years in prison and five years probation.

The sentence reflects the seriousness of Birrueta-Mendoza’s actions, said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter of the Justice Department’s Eastern Washington District.

“Mr. Birrueta-Mendoza was engaged in drug trafficking after unlawfully returning to the United States,” she said. “He intended to distribute a large amount of methamphetamine into our community without concern about its impact.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Murphy.