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In a pair of unrelated cases, two Indianapolis men have been sentenced in recent weeks for their roles in dealing fentanyl.
On July 31, Richard Garner III, 38, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to the Indiana Southern District’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to court documents, on Aug. 8, 2024, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers initiated a traffic stop on Garner after he ran a red light at Keystone Avenue and English Avenue in Indianapolis.
Garner ignored the police and fled at a high rate of speed through a neighborhood, throwing a loaded Glock .40 handgun out of the car, and eventually stopping in a traffic jam on Hoyt Avenue.
Officers searched Garner’s vehicle and located 55 fentanyl pills, powder cocaine, and more than $9,000 in cash.
The same day, investigators searched Garner’s home and found more than 1,000 M30 fentanyl pills, powder fentanyl, powder cocaine, various pills, digital scales, pill presses, as well as a loaded Ruger handgun, an AR-15-style rifle, ammunition, a machine gun conversion device, and $11,550.00 in cash.
In total, Garner was in possession of 244 grams of fentanyl and 470 grams of cocaine.
On Aug. 5, Andres Hernandez-Alamar, 29, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
According to court documents, on May 20, 2022, IMPD detectives were alerted to a U.S. Postal Service package containing 1,165 grams of fentanyl addressed to a residence in Indianapolis.
Hernandez-Alamar was found at the residence and denied knowledge of the package.
During a search of his phone, investigators located the parcel’s tracking number and text messages between Hernandez-Alamar and a Mexican phone number in which he ordered and discussed the drugs.
“The fentanyl epidemic continues to claim lives across our country, and those who profit from its distribution will be held accountable,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. in a news release. “Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, two dangerous individuals are now off the streets of Indianapolis and no longer able to threaten the safety of our community.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and IMPD investigated these cases.
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