Washoe County District Attorney's Office

Three Drug Traffickers Sentenced to Prison

One Pound of Meth and Three Pounds of Cocaine Recovered in Two Cases

Jun 28, 2024

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office has secured sentences in multiple drug trafficking cases.

David Gilbert (dob 11/20/81) and Alejandro Diaz-Sanchez (dob 10/10/94) have been sentenced to 25 years in prison with parole eligibility after 10 years, for trafficking 400 grams or more of methamphetamine. Gilbert and Diaz-Sanchez were arrested by detectives with the Regional Narcotics Unit (RNU) in October of last year, when Gilbert was contacted for a sale.

After an undercover person gave Gilbert the money for the drugs, Diaz-Sanchez arrived on scene with almost one pound of methamphetamine to complete the sale. At that time, both men were taken into custody.  Both Gilbert and Diaz-Sanchez pled guilty to Trafficking in a Schedule I Controlled Substance and were sentenced by the Honorable Judge Barry Breslow.

In a separate case, Cody Churchill (dob 5/25/93) was sentenced to 20 years in prison with parole eligibility after 8 years, after he pled guilty to trafficking cocaine before the Honorable Judge Kathleen Sigurdson. The case against Churchill began in January of this year, after he was stopped for speeding on I-80 near Derby Dam. The defendant gave an inconsistent story as to his travel plans, and shared he had a criminal history involving the sale of drugs, while speaking with a Washoe County Sheriff’s Deputy assigned to the Northern Nevada Interdiction Task Force. A K9 was deployed for a free air sniff and gave a positive alert to drugs in the car. During a search of Churchill’s vehicle, more than 3 pounds of cocaine were collectively found.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Vieta-Kabell prosecuted all three defendants. At the sentencings, the State urged the court to issue lengthy prison terms, pointing out that methamphetamine and cocaine supplied by people like these defendants regularly contributes to fatal overdoses for community members suffering from addiction in Washoe County.

Kendall Holcomb

Public Information Officer

P:  (775) 328-3223
Email Us About This Release