Person in country illegally sentenced for drug trafficking in Ohio

OHIO — A high-level drug trafficker linked to a large-scale operation tied to Mexico has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.

Francisco Villegas-Garcia, 37, a Mexican national in the U.S. illegally, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Columbus for his role in a fentanyl conspiracy.

He was a key figure in an organization that transported and distributed large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Court documents show Villegas-Garcia frequently traveled between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Columbus as part of the drug operation.

During a traffic stop in Charlotte, agents seized $100,000 in cash from him.

Further investigations by DEA field offices in both cities uncovered his involvement in discussions about drug supply, sales, money transfers to Mexico, and securing couriers.

In January 2023, federal agents searched his Columbus residence on Willowswitch Lane, finding eight kilograms of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues hidden inside a wall, along with $120,000 in cash.

Later that month, Villegas-Garcia was arrested at Los Gauchos Taqueria on South Hamilton Road, where he was found carrying 28 grams of cocaine and more than $10,000 in cash.

He pleaded guilty in March 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and possess fentanyl with intent to distribute.

The case was prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which targets high-level criminal organizations.

The sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris and DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Lawton. U.S. District Court Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. handed down the 120-month sentence.