PLANO, Texas - A Dallas woman has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison as part of the Homeland Security Task Force for trafficking fentanyl in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Isela Mendez, 45, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute and possess with intent to manufacture and distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 264 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on April 15, 2026.

According to information presented in court, Mendez was identified during an investigation involving the influx of counterfeit oxycodone, and other prescription pills, in the Eastern District of Texas and surrounding areas. It was determined that Mendez worked with others to distribute tens of thousands of "M30" fentanyl-laced pills. Mendez's son, Nathan Garcia, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison as part of the same conspiracy on February 9, 2026.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. 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. HSTF Dallas comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Field Office; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Dallas (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CD; United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS); United States Secret Service (USSS); Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS); TEXOMA HIDTA; and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Dallas Police Department.

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