DAYTON, OHIO – Thanks to officials with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, an Ohio man who admitted his guilt to several drug charges was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison in a U.S. District Court on Tuesday.
Luis Garza, 32, of Springfield, Ohio, was found guilty of possessing methamphetamine, carfentanil and fentanyl, and for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, officials said in a press release.
Hancock County Sheriff’s Sgt. Nick Ernstes pulled Garza over in October of 2019 and conducted a traffic stop on I-70. During the course of his duties with the Proactive Criminal Enforcement (PACE) unit, Ernstes’ investigation found two kilos of methamphetamine and led to coordinating a search warrant with officials in Ohio.
As a result of that warrant in Ohio, a kilo of heroin, a pound of methamphetamine and a handgun were recovered from the suspect. Garza pled guilty to charges, and earlier this week was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in federal prison.
“The United States Attorney’s Office in Ohio also called our office to express their gratitude for Sgt. Ernstes’ hard work and dedication,” said Capt. Robert Harris, public relations officer for the Sheriff’s Department said. “Thanks to Sgt. Ernstes’ great work, a dangerous suspect will be serving a lot of time.”
According to court documents, Garza was stopped for speeding, and a canine on the Hancock County PACE unit alerted local officials to marijuana in his car. At the time, Garza was on parole in Ohio for aggravated robbery.
Hancock County Sheriff’s deputies searched Garza’s vehicle at a tow yard, where the vehicle was impounded on a police hold. Deputies discovered more than 800 grams of pure methamphetamine in vacuum sealed packages between the rear seats. The DEA conducted the substance testing.
Garza was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). Through the violent-crime reduction program, a broad spectrum of stakeholders works together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of the strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders, the release said.
“This case highlights good investigative coordination between local, state and federal agencies in both Ohio and Indiana,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker in the release. “Thanks to their cooperation, we were able to take off the streets what would equal thousands of dosages of methamphetamine.”
Garza was indicted by a federal grand jury in Dayton, Ohio, in June 2020. He pleaded guilty in January 2021.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Travis S. Riddle, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); Springfield Police Chief Lee Graf; and Hancock County Sheriff Brad Burkhart announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman this week.
