Francisco Villa-Garcia, a 68-year-old Mexican national, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for importing more than eight kilograms of fentanyl from Mexico into South Carolina. Villa-Garcia, who also used the names Francisco Villa-Dominguez, Andres Busto, and Jesus Pineda Dominguez, was living illegally in the United States at the time of his arrest.
Investigators found that Villa-Garcia had re-entered the U.S. around 2022 after being deported to Mexico in 2019. His previous deportation followed a 15-year federal prison sentence for drug trafficking in California. Upon his return, he arranged two shipments of what he believed was heroin but turned out to be fentanyl. The drugs were valued at $45,000 per kilogram and intended for distribution by co-conspirators in Kingstree. Law enforcement became aware of the plan and set up a sting operation that intercepted the second shipment.
Villa-Garcia’s criminal record includes convictions dating back to 1984 for offenses such as possession of cocaine, illegal reentry, driving under the influence, hit and run causing injury, extortion, and sale of methamphetamine. He was deported to Mexico in 2019 based on federal convictions from 2005 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and illegal reentry in California.
The court sentenced Villa-Garcia to 97 months in federal prison on this latest conviction and imposed a concurrent sentence of 51 months for violating release terms from his earlier convictions. After serving his sentences, he will be deported to Mexico again. Co-defendants Eriberto Navarro Lopez from Mexico City and Marone Lawatis Nesmith from Kingstree have pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."
The FBI Columbia Field Office led the investigation with assistance from the Williamsburg County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Everett McMillian prosecuted the case.
