Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Ezekiel Fernandez, II, 32, of Highlands, Texas, was sentenced today in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska. United States District Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Fernandez to 57 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture containing fentanyl. After serving his sentence, Fernandez will be placed on supervised release for 2 years. There is no parole in the federal system.
On May 27, 2021, a Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputy pulled a vehicle over for a traffic violation along Interstate 80 in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Fernandez was identified as the driver. After the traffic stop, a K9 was called and deployed around the vehicle. The K9 alerted and indicated to the presence of narcotics odor in the vehicle. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and found a duffle bag in the back seat with around $30,000 in US currency. Fernandez later agreed to forfeiting that currency. Officers also found a bag with a large number of blue pills in the front seat. The blue pills were sent to a lab for testing, and the lab confirmed that the pills contained fentanyl and weighed about 1.07 kilograms.
This case was investigated by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration.