U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle has sentenced Nicolas Garcia Hernandez to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Garcia Hernandez, a 27-year-old resident of Shelbyville, Tennessee, entered a guilty plea on November 13, 2024.
Court documents reveal that Garcia Hernandez illegally entered the United States from Mexico around 2020. He made two trips from Tennessee to Florida's Middle District to deliver methamphetamine. In December 2023, he delivered nearly three kilograms of the drug to an informant. In May 2024, while en route to deliver more methamphetamine to the same informant, his vehicle was stopped by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on I-75 in Hillsborough County.
A police canine alerted officers to the presence of drugs in the vehicle. Subsequently, Garcia Hernandez fled on foot across I-75 but was safely apprehended by troopers after a chase through oncoming traffic. Authorities discovered 5.9 kilograms of methamphetamine in his vehicle and additional amounts in his wallet. The court attributed approximately 8.8 kilograms of methamphetamine to him.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bradenton Police Department, and Florida Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Samantha E. Beckman prosecuted the case.