AUSTIN, Texas - Two men involved in a fentanyl distribution organization have been sentenced in federal court to more than seven years in prison.
"The defendants in this case took part in a large enterprise of criminal activity and will now face federal prison time," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas.
The two men are Christopher Brock, 25, of Pflugerville, and Marcos Roberto Garcia aka "Alex," 20, of Somerton, Arizona. Both were arrested on Jan. 4, 2022 on charges of distributing fentanyl in the Austin area, along with other members of their organization.
Officials say Brock served a distributional role in the organization, dealing the counterfeit pills and acting as a courier. Garcia was identified by authorities as the main source of the pill supply, purchasing and orchestrating shipments for the fentanyl.
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Brock was sentenced to 90 months in prison and three years of supervised release, and Garcia was sentenced to 87 months in prison and four years of supervised release.
The case, which was investigated by the DEA, FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service alongside the Austin, Cedar Park, San Angelo and San Marcos Police Departments, also included eight other codefendants who have since been sentenced.
- Adi Martinez Marquez, 21, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, was sentenced to 14 months in prison
- Ezequiel Azmitia-Jimenez, 20, of Lockhart, was sentenced to 36 months
- Fernando Beltran, 22, of Austin, and Oliver Garcia, 21, of Lockhart, each received 180-month prison sentences
- Matthew Juan, 20, of Austin, was sentenced to 90 months in prison
- Andres Ruben Ramirez, 24, of Austin, was sentenced to 48 months
- Daemon Garcia, 20, of San Marcos, was sentenced to 30 months
- Michael Bauman, 19, of Austin, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison