Felipe Rodriguez, Fentanyl Trafficking, Texas 2023

SHREVEPORT, La. – Two Texas men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a massive fentanyl trafficking operation that could have killed millions of people.

Felipe Rodriguez, 22, of McAllen, Texas, and Brandon Montoya, 24, of Kaufman, Texas, were each sentenced to 63 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. They will also serve five years of supervised release after their prison terms.

The pair was arrested in May 2018 after a Louisiana State Police trooper stopped a vehicle on Interstate-20 eastbound that Rodriguez was driving and Montoya was a passenger in. During a search of the vehicle, agents found 10 one-kilogram packages containing pure fentanyl and a fentanyl derivative.

According to court documents, Rodriguez and Montoya were hired by a person in Mexico to transport the fentanyl from California to Atlanta, Georgia. The defendants understood that the work they were being asked to do meant transporting the deadly narcotics.

The seizure of the fentanyl and the prosecution of the defendants is part of the ongoing fight against fentanyl and other deadly opioids, according to U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine and is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.

“These drugs are now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States — more than even car accidents,” Joseph stated. “This case alone involved enough fentanyl to kill every person in the state of Louisiana.”

The investigation was led by the DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany E. Fields prosecuted the case.

Rodriguez and Montoya pleaded guilty in September 2018. Their prison sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote.

Related Federal Cases