Four men charged in meth trafficking ring plead not guilty

CEDAR RAPIDS - Four men were charged this week with methamphetamine trafficking after law enforcement officers obtained 12 search warrants in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Roland and Marshalltown during the investigation.

Each of the defendants - Bobby D. Robey, 61, of Ames; Travis C. Werkmeister, 33, of Waterloo; Genaro Aguilar Lemus, 22, of Riverdale, Calif.; and Jorge Martinez-Garcia, 28, of Tama - had initial and arraignment hearings in U.S. District Court this week.

The indictments, which remained sealed as of Thursday, show they conspired to distribute meth between January 2019 and this month, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. All four pleaded not guilty during hearings and remain in jail pending detention hearings next Tuesday.

More information regarding the investigation may be revealed during the detention hearings.

If convicted, each faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and possibly up to life in federal prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release following any prison time.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Corkery and investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program of the U.S. Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Tri-County Drug Task Force, Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force, Iowa Counter Drug Task Force and Central Iowa Drug Task Force.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com