United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that John Hernandez, a/k/a “Hboy,” age 36, last of Lincoln, Nebraska, but formerly of North Platte, Nebraska, was sentenced September 26, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln for distribution of 5 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Hernandez to a total of 145 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Hernandez’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
Beginning in 2021, the FBI and CODE Drug Task Force opened an investigation into drug trafficking in the North Platte, Nebraska area. In March of 2022, law enforcement set up a controlled buy over Facebook with a third party. In the course of the buy, Hernandez was observed approaching the buy location. He was also heard on the recorded audio associated with the buy. Through surveillance and debriefings, law enforcement learned that Hernandez was the source of the meth that was sold during the controlled buy.
Law enforcement knew Hernandez to be a major source of both meth and fentanyl in the North Platte area. Law enforcement had taken reports from other drug users, concerned about Hernandez selling drugs, particularly fentanyl to young people.
In February of 2023, law enforcement responded to Hernandez’s residence and observed an 11-year-old who appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance. In April of 2023, they recovered a Colorado runaway who had been staying at Hernandez’s house and reported using fentanyl there. The runaway was also in possession of paraphernalia frequently used to ingest fentanyl.
Hernandez’s house was the subject of a search warrant executed in May of 2023. During the execution of that warrant, Hernandez gave a Mirandized statement to officers, advising them that he was working to gather funds and planned to travel to Julesburg, Colorado to re-up his drug supply. He stated he planned on purchasing four ounces of meth and at least 100 fentanyl pills.
After being arrested in this case in Lincoln, Hernandez again gave a Mirandized statement to law enforcement. He identified himself as being the biggest meth dealer in North Platte. In talking about his various sources, Hernandez advised that he had purchased and sold at least 100 ounces of meth and approximately 2400 fentanyl pills while dealing in North Platte.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Bazis noted that Hernandez had a lengthy criminal history, which included domestic assault convictions. She surmised that Hernandez, when using drugs, is a violent and dangerous person. She also noted that investigation revealed multiple children were living in the home with Hernandez while he was dealing drugs, and he exposed them to hazardous, if not outright lethal, substances, concluding that “you have got to protect kids.”
This case was investigated by the CODE Task Force which is made up of law enforcement agencies throughout a 22-county area in west-central/southwest Nebraska and includes the North Platte Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Red Willow County Sheriff’s Office, Frontier County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Lincoln Police Department’s Safe Streets Taskforce also assisted in the arrest of Hernandez.
