United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Nikki Guerra, age 46, of North Platte, Nebraska, was sentenced on September 26, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Guerra to a total of 31 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Guerra’s release from prison, she will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.
On October 15, 2023, officers with the North Platte Police Department stopped a vehicle owned by Guerra as it entered North Platte for at traffic violation. From prior intel, officers suspected the vehicle had been involved in the distribution of narcotics and suspected narcotics were currently in the vehicle at the time of the stop.
Both Guerra and the driver were asked to step back to patrol cars while officers checked their identification, and a drug dog was deployed while the traffic stop was in progress. The dog alerted to the presence of narcotics and officers conducted a probable cause search of the vehicle. In a XL men’s sized jacket pocket, officers located a pound of meth. The jacket was located on the floor of the passenger’s side seat where Guerra was sitting at the time of the stop.
The recovered meth was sent to the state crime lab where it was tested and confirmed to meth, with a purity of 95.7% for a total of 400 grams actual meth.
In sentencing Ms. Guerra, Judge Gerrard complimented the work she had done since being arrested to address her substance abuse issues.
This case was investigated by the North Platte Police Department.
