A Rockford man has been sentenced to eleven years in federal prison for attempting to import more than half a kilogram of fentanyl from Mexico into the United States. The sentencing took place in Rockford's federal court, presided over by U.S. District Judge Iain D. Johnston.
The defendant, Benigno Sanchez, aged 47, previously entered a guilty plea to a charge of attempting to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. According to admitted facts from March 2023, Sanchez anticipated receiving a package of controlled substances sent via FedEx to a Rockford address. Law enforcement intercepted the package, finding over 500 grams of fentanyl inside, masked to resemble opioid pills and concealed within a wooden tortilla press.
Following the removal of the drugs, authorities proceeded to deliver the package to Sanchez, who then took custody, transported it to a different location, and opened it, believing it still contained the fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew S. Boutros, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, announced the sentencing. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ladd.