Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Clark County Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prison for Narcotics, Gun Crimes
DAYTON, Ohio – Luis Garza, 32, of Springfield, Ohio, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 188 months in prison for possessing methamphetamine, carfentanil and fentanyl, and for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
This case 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 this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders.
According to court documents, in October 2019, Garza was stopped in Indiana for speeding when a canine alerted to marijuana in his car. At the time, Garza was on parole in Ohio for aggravated robbery.
During a subsequent search of Garza’s residence in Springfield, Ohio, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Adult Parole Authority discovered distributable amounts of fentanyl, carfentanil and methamphetamine, as well as a handgun.
Hancock County, Indiana 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.
“This case highlights good investigative coordination between local, state and federal agencies in both Ohio and Indiana,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “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, Indiana Sheriff Brad Burkhart announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is representing the United States in this case.