Two men from North Texas have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in fentanyl trafficking in the Eastern District of Texas, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Nathan Jesse Garcia, 24, of Dallas, received a sentence of 240 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. Lino Hernandez, 25, of Arlington, was sentenced to 156 months on the same charge. Both sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on February 9, 2026.
Court records show that Garcia and Hernandez conspired with others beginning at least in 2022 to distribute fentanyl within the Eastern District of Texas.
"This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion," stated the release. "The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States."
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Dallas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather H. Rattan prosecuted the case.
