Jason Arias, 42, of Canyon Country, California, was sentenced on April 16 in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that United States District Judge Susan Bazis ordered Arias to serve 63 months in prison followed by a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Arias’s sentencing follows an investigation by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force into shipments of methamphetamine mailed from California to recipients in Nebraska. Investigators intercepted a package at the Ulysses post office on May 13, 2022, which contained half a pound of methamphetamine and had Arias’s fingerprint on it. The investigation revealed that Arias worked with co-conspirator Trevor Sands to send multiple packages containing methamphetamine from California.
Between May and September 2022, authorities intercepted three more packages mailed from California containing between one-quarter pound and one pound of methamphetamine each. Surveillance video showed both Sands and Arias mailing these packages. The Nebraska State Patrol Crime Lab confirmed the presence of methamphetamine in all seized parcels.
On February 8, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sands’s residence in Culver City, California where they found additional methamphetamine. During interviews with investigators after his arrest, Sands admitted distributing drugs and working with others to mail them to Nebraska; Arias also admitted helping mail some of these packages.
Sands was previously sentenced on May 1, 2025 to serve 57 months for conspiracy related charges.
The case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force along with support from the United States Postal Inspection Service and Los Angeles Police Department. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska advances community well-being through coordinated law enforcement efforts that safeguard residents according to the official website. The office uses facilities located within federal courthouses in Omaha and Lincoln according to its official website.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is part of the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website, prosecuting federal crimes while handling civil cases involving the government according to its official website. It serves all regions across Nebraska according to its official website through collaboration with various law enforcement agencies according to its official website. Offices are maintained both in Omaha and Lincoln as part of broader efforts dating back to foundational legislation establishing such roles according to its official website.
