Three Men Sentenced in Drug Cases

A combined total of 70 years of prison sentences

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office has secured four drug-related sentencings, related to three defendants. Deputy District Attorney Michael Vieta-Kabell prosecuted all three defendants and during the sentencing hearings argued that the trafficking and sales of Schedule I narcotics presented a serious threat to the people of Washoe County, and justified the lengthy sentences sought by the District Attorney’s Office.

Jaime Guzman-Brambila has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 10 years after pleading guilty to Trafficking in a Schedule I Controlled Substance. The 33-year-old California resident was arrested during a narcotics operation in September of last year. During the investigation, Guzman-Brambila agreed to sell 25 pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills to a confidential informant. When Guzman-Brambila arrived at the planned meeting location, detectives with the Reno Police Department detained him and following a positive open-air sniff by a K9, uncovered almost 16 pounds of methamphetamine in his car. The Honorable Judge Kathleen Sigurdson presided and imposed the sentence.   

51-year-old Lahun Oliver of Sparks has been sentenced to a combined 25 years in prison with parole eligibility after 10 years in two separate cases, the first charge being Trafficking in a Schedule I Controlled Substance and the second charge being Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Substance. The first incident began in October of 2021, when officers with Sparks Police observed Oliver stopped in a travel lane near Glendale, in an area where several burglaries had recently occurred. After speaking with Oliver, police learned that he had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out for his arrest. At the same time, a K9 alerted to the presence of drugs in his car, and a search uncovered cocaine. Between what was found in the car and on Oliver’s person, 21 grams were recovered.

The second incident occurred in July of 2022, when Reno Police were told that Oliver and a female co-defendant were selling cocaine in the area. Through several operations over multiple months, law enforcement obtained around 12 grams of the drug through multiple buys with the defendant and his partner. In October, police initiated a traffic stop on the woman, where they recovered almost 2.5 pounds of cocaine. She told police the drugs belonged to her boyfriend, Oliver, who police arrested. The defendant admitted he had been selling drugs for about a year and a half. The Honorable Judge Scott Freeman presided over both cases and imposed the sentencings.

Juan Galban-Cruz of Reno has been sentenced to 20 years in prison with eligibility for parole after 5 years, after pleading guilty to Trafficking in a Schedule I Controlled Substance. The 30-year-old defendant was arrested in September of last year, after the Regional Gang Unit received a Secret Witness tip that he had several controlled substances with him at a local casino. After officers arrested Galban-Cruz going back to his room, he informed police that he had a gun in his backpack. During the search of his bag, police also found 2.7 grams of pressed pill fentanyl, 35.2 grams of cocaine, and 46.5 grams of methamphetamine. In the hotel room, officers found an additional 1.3 pounds of cocaine, 1 pound of methamphetamine, and 31 grams of fentanyl. The Honorable Judge Scott Freeman presided and imposed the sentence.