(South Bend, IN) - A man from Mexico who was arrested in Elkhart for trafficking drugs has been dealt a lengthy prison sentence.

 

In November 2022, Guadalupe Reyes Jr. (50) was arrested with another man in a large drug bust. Federal prosecutors say Reyes, a Mexican citizen, was arranging deals for thousands of fentanyl pills, which his co-defendant, Jerry Edwards, was delivering via mail.

 

“This case demonstrates that drug traffickers will use every available means - including the U.S.  mail – to distribute their illegal product throughout the country,” said United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson. “These coordinated efforts are particularly important when fentanyl, a substance that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, is being trafficked.”

 

Reyes was successful in distributing over 1,400 grams of fentanyl, which authorities say is enough to kill 700,000 people. “Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing our country,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alfred A. Cooke III. “Often found in fake pills, illicit fentanyl was responsible for almost 70% of the nearly 111,000 fatal drug overdoses and poisonings in our country last year. One fake pill containing 2 milligrams of illicit fentanyl is enough to kill,” 

 

On Thursday a U.S. District Court judge sentenced Reyes to nearly 20 years in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.