If you're an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was recently busted with enough fentanyl to kill 500,000 people, the Gulfport Police would like to have a word with you.
An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced to spend more than six years in federal prison Monday after being caught last year in Gulfport with enough fentanyl to kill 500,000 people.
Pablo Vega-Ontanon, 53, was living in Georgia at the time of his arrest. On Nov. 6, 2018, he came to Gulfport with two others to sell nine kilos of heroin.
During that visit, Ontanon met with a confidential informant who he had arranged to sell the drugs to. During that meeting, Ontanon and the two people who were with him told the informant they had ten kilos of heroin hidden in their vehicle. The three were arrested shortly after. Authorities found nine kilos of heroin and one kilo of fentanyl when they searched the suspect's vehicle.
One kilo of fentanyl is enough to produce half a million fatal overdoses, said authorities.
Vega-Ontanon, along with Eder Ortega-Casarrubias and Eric Estudillo-Carrazco, were each charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin by federal authorities.
Ortega-Casarurrubias pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 26, 2019, to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Estudillo-Carrazco pled guilty on Aug. 28, 2019. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10,000 fine. He will be sentenced on Nov. 27, 2019.