U.S. Attorney's Office
United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Karen Barba-Franco, 23, of Omaha was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Omaha for Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Barba-Franco to 135 months’ imprisonment. After completing her term of imprisonment, Barba-Franco will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release as there is no parole in the federal system.
On July 19, 2021, Omaha police officers conducted a traffic stop in South Omaha of a vehicle containing Barba-Franco and two co-defendants, Mauricio Canales-Santiago and Antonia Lopez-Tiznado. Consent to search the vehicle was granted and officers located approximately 2 pounds of methamphetamine. A subsequent search warrant was executed on their Omaha residence revealing an additional 19 pounds of methamphetamine. All three gave post-arrest statements admitting their involvement in distributing methamphetamine with one another during the prior two weeks.
Canales-Santiago has a trial date pending. Lopez-Tiznado pled guilty and was sentenced on Feb. 8 to 135 months’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.