United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Ever Cano Ruacho, 36, and Jimmie Collazo, Jr., 35, both of St. Paul, Minnesota, were sentenced on August 20 and August 27, 2026, respectively, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis sentenced Ruacho to 188 months’ imprisonment and Collazo, Jr. to 125 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ruacho’s release from prison, he will begin a five-year term of supervised release. After Collazo, Jr.’s release from prison, he will begin a three-year term of supervised release. On October 16, 2025, a Lincoln Police Officer made a traffic stop of a Chevy pickup driven by Ruacho for a traffic violation on Interstate 80 in Lancaster County. Collazo, Jr. was in the front passenger seat. Both passengers consented to a search of the pickup. The arresting officer found approximately 120 pounds of methamphetamine packaged in 40, three-pound packages hidden in factory voids throughout the pickup. A cigarette container holding .8 grams methamphetamine was located in the center console. Ruacho said they were traveling from Colorado to Minneapolis. Collazo, Jr. said they were traveling from Colorado to Chicago.
One of the three-pound packages of suspected methamphetamine was sent to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab. A forensic scientist there found the package to contain at least 1,200 grams of pure methamphetamine. Investigators found four cell phones in the vehicle. Ruacho and Collazo, Jr. consented to a search of their cell phones. Data on the cell phones showed communications between Ruacho and Collazo, Jr., as well as messages and photos consistent with narcotics use, narcotics trafficking, and the exchange of money and/or narcotics dating back to approximately May 20, 2025, and continuing up through the date of their arrest.
“Anyone who tries to traffic this amount of narcotics through Nebraska and on Interstate 80 in particular is going to have a very hard time getting past the Lincoln and Lancaster County Task Force! They are always on the job, keeping us all safer,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful to them for their tireless efforts.” This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force (LLCNTF).