A Kansas woman was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison for the possession over 100,000 fentanyl pills, which she intended to sell.
In spring 2023 Mana Elena Reyes, 51, had multiple discussions with an undercover Sedwick County officer about purchasing and selling methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Deputies followed Reyes as she drove from Kansas to Oklahoma and back. The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) conducted a traffic stop where they searched her vehicle, finding 115,000 fentanyl pills and over 4,000 grams of meth along with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine and fentanyl powder.
Reyes pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser says Reyes’ sentence of 240 months, or 20 years, is three times longer than the average prison sentence for fentanyl trafficking.
“Our office is extremely pleased with the outcome in this case and will continue to seek stiff penalties for drug trafficking,” he said in a U.S. Attorney’ Office for the District of Kansas press release.
“Illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl and methamphetamine, are a scourge and will not be tolerated in our communities.”