AUSTIN – Two men have been sentenced in connection with a fentanyl distribution organization that caused overdoses in the Austin area, federal authorities said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Christopher Brock, 25, of Pflugerville, and Marcos Roberto Garcia aka “Alex,” 20, of Somerton, Arizona, were both sentenced on Monday for charges of distributing fentanyl.
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.
Authorities said they were part of an organization that sold fake oxycodone tablets that contained fentanyl.
Garcia would purchase the drugs from Mexico and send them to the Austin area through the U.S. Postal Service, a news release states. Brock sold the tablets in the Austin area.
Authorities said they started their investigation in March 2021 due to recent fentanyl overdoses.
Brock, Garcia and other suspects in the organization were arrested in January 2022.
Eight other suspects sentenced in the case include Adi Martinez Marquez, 21, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico; Ezequiel Azmitia-Jimenez, 20, of Lockhart; Fernando Beltran, 22, of Austin; Oliver Garcia, 21, of Lockhart; Matthew Juan, 20, of Austin; Andres Ruben Ramirez, 24, of Austin; Daemon Garcia, 20, of San Marcos; and Michael Bauman, 19, of Austin.
“The defendants in this case took part in a large enterprise of criminal activity and will now face federal prison time thanks to the united efforts of our law enforcement partners,” U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas said in the release. “The penalties handed down to these young men should serve as examples to anyone who considers getting involved in these dangerous drug trafficking operations.”
Through KSAT’s series, “Fighting Fentanyl,” we’ve covered how the drug affects the body, where Texans can get a medicine that reverses overdoses for free, and the new state laws aimed at helping families fight the drug.
Below, see our special that explains fentanyl and how families can get help.