A man has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge for the illegal importation of Pentobarbital, a drug used in euthanasia, into the United States from Mexico. Daniel Gonzalez-Munguia, also known as "Alejandro Vasquez," aged 41 and hailing from Puebla, Mexico, entered his plea in a Chicago federal court. He admitted to one count of importing a controlled substance into the U.S., an offense that carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis has scheduled sentencing for September 9, 2025.
Pentobarbital, also referred to as Nembutal, is legally sold in Mexico for animal euthanasia but is classified as a controlled substance in the U.S., where it has been used in state executions. According to Gonzalez-Munguia's plea agreement, he operated an online business from 2012 to 2021 that distributed Pentobarbital bottles to hundreds of individuals globally, including customers in Illinois. The agreement reveals that many purchasers consumed the drug and subsequently died.
The investigation by Homeland Security Investigations began in 2016 following the interception of a parcel containing the drug in a Chicago suburb. Authorities across the U.S. and several other countries conducted well-being checks and found Pentobarbital with numerous individuals who confessed to ordering it online due to feelings of despondency. Law enforcement offered assistance to these individuals.
Gonzalez-Munguia confessed that he initially shipped the drug directly from Mexico using its original packaging but later disguised it as a cosmetic product and employed intermediaries for transportation into the U.S., eventually shipping it worldwide.
The announcement of Gonzalez-Munguia's guilty plea was made by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Daniel Johnsen, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations' Chicago office; and Ruth Mendonça, Inspector-in-Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case received support from various agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Illinois Army National Guard Counterdrug Program, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, and law enforcement bodies from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik K. Raman is handling prosecution duties.