A California man has been sentenced to life in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in Kansas City, Kansas.

Juan Manuel Cortez-Diaz, 36, of Modesto, Calif., was convicted in a jury trial in June 2012.

The jury found him guilty of three counts of distributing methamphetamine and two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Cortez-Diaz handled more than 9 pounds of the drug, including meth sold to undercover agents, found in his car and seized during a search at a drug stash house.

On May 16, 2011, officers of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department stopped his car after investigators saw him leave the drug stash house carrying a shoe box. Police seized the shoe box, which contained two pounds of methamphetamine. They seized another seven pounds of methamphetamine from the drug stash house.

Investigators determined that a co-defendant brought the methamphetamine to Kansas City from California. That co-defendant, Juan Carlos Lopez Razo, 36, North Highlands, Calif., is a fugitive from justice.