Citizen of Mexico Sentenced to 235 Months in Prison

SOUTH BEND - Guadalupe Reyes, Jr., 50 years old, a citizen of Mexico living in Elkhart, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Reyes was sentenced to 235 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, on three occasions between August and October 2022, Reyes oversaw the shipment of more than 3,000 fentanyl pills through the U.S. mail from the Northern District of Indiana to a buyer in Texas. Reyes participated in phone calls with the buyer to negotiate the amount and price of the pills, and then recruited and compensated co-defendant, Jerry Edwards, to mail the pills from various locations within the Northern District of Indiana. Reyes was arrested in November 2022, after arranging a person-to-person sale of 10,000 fentanyl pills. In total, Reyes distributed over 1,400 grams of fentanyl.

"This case demonstrates that drug traffickers will use every available means - including the U.S. mail - to distribute their illegal product throughout the country. My Office, in partnership with the DEA and other agencies, will investigative and prosecute all persons who engage in the illegal narcotics trade," 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."

"Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing our country. 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," said Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alfred A. Cooke III. "Together with its partners from the St. Joseph County Police Department, Mishawaka Police Department, South Bend Police Department, Indiana State Police, Elkhart County ICE Unit, and other federal agencies, the DEA continues its pursuit of the cruel and wicked who are fueling northern Indiana with this poison we call fentanyl. Today's federal sentencing in South Bend should be a sign that drug trafficking - and fentanyl - are not welcomed here. The collaborative spirit among law enforcement in northern Indiana is strong and we remain committed to the destruction of drug trafficking organizations in our region."

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service, the St. Joseph County Police Department, the Mishawaka Police Department, the South Bend Police Department, the Indiana State Police, the Elkhart County ICE Unit and the DEA North and South-Central Laboratories. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Katelan McKenzie Doyle and Joel Gabrielse.