FRESNO - On Friday, Sept. 27, after a four-day trial, a federal jury found Alma Lucia Garza, 23, of Fresno, guilty of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine as well as possession with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Garza was a trusted assistant of the self-proclaimed M30 King of Fresno, Horacio Torrecillas Urias Jr. Between Nov. 2, 2021, and March 31, 2022, Garza conspired with Torrecillas Urias and others to obtain, directly from sources in Mexico, tens of thousands of counterfeit M30 fentanyl pills and large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine. The conspiracy included the distribution of these illicit drugs to drug dealers inside and outside of California.
On Jan. 27, 2022, Garza mailed a package containing cocaine and methamphetamine to a co-defendant in New Mexico. Law enforcement seized the package before it arrived at its destination. On Feb. 9, 2022, Garza traveled with Torrecillas Urias to Sanger to deliver thousands of pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine. Those pills were seized by law enforcement during the execution of a residential search warrant two days later.
After the investigation, the United States charged Garza, Torrecillas Urias, and 17 others. With the verdict in today’s case, all defendants have pleaded or been found guilty. Sentencing in Garza’s case is set for Jan. 6, 2025. She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after considering any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider many variables.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Fentanyl Overdose Resolution Team (a multi-agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Clovis Police Department, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin J. Gilio and Antonio J. Pataca are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high-impact areas and identify wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
