A Tucson man, Gerardo Hernandez, was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to Importation of Fentanyl.
Hernandez’s sentence is to be followed by 36 months supervised release.
On December 4, 2022, Hernandez, a United States citizen, entered the United States at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, from Mexico. He was a passenger in the front seat of a vehicle that contained 49.9 kilograms of fentanyl concealed inside the vehicle. Hernandez was aware that the vehicle contained controlled substances and agreed to import them into the United States. The driver of the vehicle was unaware that they were importing controlled substances. Hernandez has 11 prior felony convictions and six prior misdemeanor convictions since 2002.
The fentanyl Hernandez imported was in 30 milligram tablets. Forty-nine kilograms is approximately 1,600,000 tablets or single use doses of fentanyl.