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That’s a Lot of Methamphetamine

SAN DIEGO (CN) - A 40-year-old San Diegan was sentenced Friday to 17 1/2 years in prison for dealing 30 to 40 lbs. of methamphetamine a month.

Silvano Hernandez Jr., pleaded guilty to RICO charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He was one of 36 people arrested last year in a roundup of the Mexican Mafia, a prison-based gang.

"Hernandez admitted to participating in the organized criminal activity of the Mexican Mafia," prosecutors said in the statement.

"Specifically, he admitted to distributing, on average, 30-40 pounds of methamphetamine per month in San Diego."

Officials seized nearly $150,000 in cash from his home when they arrested him, and a 2011 Lincoln sedan worth $50,000, the U.S. attorney said.

Thirty of the 36 people arrested last year have been convicted and 14 have been sentenced so far, prosecutors said. Hernandez's 210-month sentence is the longest one so far.

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