Graciela Poteciano Gets 10 Years for Fentanyl Smuggle

Graciela Poteciano, 43, of Chula Vista, California, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for smuggling 26.59 pounds of fentanyl, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and 6.57 pounds of heroin into the United States. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez, follows a July 2016 jury conviction on three counts of importation of controlled substances in violation of 21 U.S.C. 952 and 960.

On May 24, 2016, Poteciano crossed the San Ysidro Port of Entry driving a Chevy Avalanche. Hidden in the spare tire mounted beneath the vehicle, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers uncovered the lethal payload. The seized fentanyl alone carried a street value of up to $510,000, with the methamphetamine worth up to $80,000 and the heroin valued at $78,840.

Judge Benitez didn’t mince words at sentencing, warning that fentanyl is a killer. The synthetic opioid, 25 to 100 times more potent than morphine, has been tied to a surge in overdose deaths across the country. Exposure to even a trace amount—through skin or inhalation—can be fatal, law enforcement officials stress.

In a separate but equally chilling case, Jose Arturo Acevedo, 35, of Tijuana, Mexico, pleaded guilty to smuggling 5,857 fentanyl-laced pills disguised as oxycodone. The blue tablets, found concealed in a speaker box behind the front passenger seat of his car, were intercepted during a July 19, 2016 entry at San Ysidro. Acevedo also attempted to bring in 55 pounds of meth, 24 pounds of cocaine, and 12 pounds of heroin. He is set for sentencing on January 30, 2017, before U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant.

U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy issued a stark warning: ‘Fentanyl remains an extremely dangerous public safety threat.’ She cited a surge in border seizures, linking them directly to the rising tide of overdose fatalities. The DEA has confirmed Mexican cartels, including Sinaloa, are manufacturing fentanyl using precursor chemicals sourced from China.

Both cases were investigated by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri Hobson, Brandon Kimura, Kevin Mokhari, and Lara Stingley prosecuted the cases. With fentanyl flooding streets in counterfeit pill form, authorities say the death toll will keep climbing unless users recognize the danger in every pill.