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An undocumented immigrant engaged in a fentanyl distribution ring in Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky faces more than five years in prison following his sentencing earlier this week.
U.S. District Judge Richard Young sentenced Javier Moreno-Garibaldi, 38, of Mexico to five and a half years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to distribution of more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
According to court documents, in May of 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration began an investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in Mexicali, Mexico, that was trafficking large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine through California.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers intercepted thousands of fentanyl pills shipped or transported by the drug traffickers into southern Indiana and western Kentucky.
As part of the investigation, undercover law enforcement officers arranged to purchase 60,000 fentanyl pills from an unknown supplier based in Mexicali, Mexico.
The source of supply sent a series of text messages discussing the arrival of the courier at an Evansville hotel, how to handle the money and counting of pills, and requiring $120,000 and a $2,500 delivery fee.
On Sept. 4, 2023, Moreno-Garibaldi arrived at a Holiday Inn in Evansville, Indiana, driving a Honda SUV with California plates.
The undercover officer met with Moreno-Garibaldi and agreed to go to a safehouse to count the pills and the $120,000 owed for the drugs. Moreno-Garibaldi put a dog kennel box full of pills into the undercover officer’s car and was arrested without incident.
A search of the box revealed five separate bags containing a large amount of counterfeit “M-30” pills containing fentanyl. The field weight of the seized pills was 15.7 pounds (7.064 kilograms), or approximately 70,000 pills.
At the time of his arrest, Moreno-Garibaldi was in the United States unlawfully, authorities said.
“These dangerous drugs are pouring into our neighborhoods in staggering amounts, driven by Mexican cartels and enabled by traffickers and dealers across the country,” John Childress, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said in a news release. “Our office remains committed to working alongside the DEA, Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force, and Owensboro Police Department to aggressively investigate and prosecute those involved in these deadly networks.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force, and Owensboro Police Department investigated this case.
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