(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — An inmate in an Arizona state prison faces federal prison time for allegedly setting up a shipment of fentanyl and methamphetamine to Illinois, prosecutors announced.
Manuel “Chuy” Garcia, 42, is accused of coordinating the drug sale in summer 2021 by using a cell phone he smuggled behind bars, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Garcia allegedly sent photographs of the methamphetamine via video chat.
Garcia had about 1 pound of crystal methamphetamine and nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills sent to a Joliet address, but the buyer was cooperating with law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago said. The package reportedly was intercepted at a Forest Park post office on July 8, 2021.
Authorities were watching days later when the buyer met with Garcia’s representative in a parking lot at O’Hare International Airport and handed over $11,000, prosecutors said.
Garcia is charged with distribution of controlled substances and wilI make a federal court appearance in Chicago.
According to the Arizona Department of Corrections website, Garcia would have been eligible for release later this month. He previously has been convicted of drug violations and aggravated assault, the agency said.
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